Most good stories start with a fundamental list of ingredients: the initial situation, conflict, complication, climax, suspense, denouement, and conclusion. Great writers sometimes shake up the recipe and add some spice.
Exposition
Girl Meets Mime
Before Pearl spots Amiel on the street corner, her life is pretty ordinary. She lives with her mom at her uncle's place since her dad up and left them, but otherwise she's just a teenager going to school and living life. Everything changes for Pearl when she sees Amiel miming avocado picking on the side of the road, though. We can't explain why Pearl is so invested in Amiel right from the start. Call it love, lust, or fate—but no matter what you call it, it's seeing him that serves as the catalyst for the rest of the novel. No Amiel, no story.
Rising Action
Love Doesn't Need Translation
Pearl and Amiel start spending more time together. At first Amiel keeps her at a safe distance, but before long, he opens up his heart and soul to her. Pearl falls madly in love with the guy, and wants to spend more and more time with him. This adds complication to Pearl's life because she has to lie to her family and friends in order to keep hanging out with Amiel since he both work for her uncle and is in the country illegally. Anytime you have a big time secret romance, the action is definitely on the rise.
Climax
Stand By Your Man
Fallbrook is on fire, and everyone evacuates but Pearl, who goes in search of Amiel. Once she finds him in the woods, she sticks by him (because that's a good idea in a fire). This is a huge turning point because before this, Pearl keeps her romance a secret—and now she boldly announces it to the world by standing by her kind of, sort of man in the midst of a life-threatening fire. As her family scrambles to find her and bring her to safety, we know this is the point of no return in our leading lady's life.
Falling Action
Personal Space
Amiel leaves Pearl a note telling her that he's homeward bound but to remember him. Of course Pearl has no trouble doing that. This brings their summer fling to a close, and starts wrapping up the novel as well. With her uncle dead, her cousin no longer speaking to her, and the ranch destroyed, Pearl is left alone to process the impact of her decisions and make peace with life without Amiel.
Resolution
Follow the Leader
After everything cools down in Fallbrook, Pearl still finds herself thinking about Amiel. She doesn't want to be without him anymore, so she starts learning Spanish so she can head to Mexico in search of him. We're not sure what will happen next, but this is as good a resolution as Pearl is going to get. After all, she's only a teen and still figuring out her life. Buena suerte, Pearl.