Following the example of the Rivera family director Moncada Rodriguez reports grom the Civil War in Nicaragua. On April 3, 1983, the conflict that had been smouldering for yxears eventually reached the Riveras. At 6 a.m. that morning, as their mother was making breakfast,
they heard shots; they were used to hearing gunfire, but this time the shots were a lot closer. Their home was caught in the middle of a skirmish between the Contras and the Sandinistas. The Contras arrived and seized Juan and José, both 13 years old, Emilio, 14 years old, and Reina, 15, along with their father. Their mother begged the fighters to leave at least one child, but they refused. The unit had already started to leave with all of them, and Juan fell behind a little. His mother caught up with him and told the troops that if they wanted the child, they would have to kill her. Juan stayed with his mother. The Contras burned the house down. Later Juan will fight on the Sandinistas' side against his brothers and sisters.