The following version of the book was used to create this study guide: Markham, Lauren. The Far Away Brothers: Two Young Migrants and the Making of an American Life. New York: Crown, 2017.

In the Author's Note, Lauren Markham outlines her experience both working with and writing about immigrants and immigration. Readers meet twins Ernesto, Raul, and their elder brother Wilber Jr. in the prologue in which the trio tries desperately to make it to immigration court in San Francisco on time. Unfortunately, they get lost and Ernesto and Raul miss their court date.

The novel begins with a section entitled "The Missing," which place in San Salvador's Instituto de Medicina Legal. There corpses and skeletal remains from the country's history of civil war and gang violence are being examined. In Chapter 1, readers are introduced to the Flores family and the struggles they have faced as poor rural farmers living in a country torn apart by gang violence. The twins' elder brother Wilber Jr. decided to go to the United States as an undocumented immigrant. After arriving in the United States, Wilber Jr.'s contact with his family became increasingly infrequent.

The short section entitled "The Flood" is about the recent rise in unaccompanied minors immigrating to the United States alone. In Chapter 2, conflict arose in the Flores family when a powerful relative with ties to the gangs sought retribution against Ernesto for Erbesto's alleged actions against him. The family decided to send Ernesto to the United States with a guide called a coyote, both for his safety and in the hope of better opportunities there. The short section entitled "The Churn" takes place in Reynosa, a Mexican border town. The readers see how dangerous these places are for migrants who are often targeted by thieves and drug cartels. In Chapter 3, the Flores family decided to send Raul north as well for his safety. Raul and his guide were attacked and robbed on their journey north before Ernesto and Raul are reunited in Mexico. They traveled to Reynosa, where Ernesto had an unknown traumatic experience, about which he then refused to speak. The twins eventually crossed the Rio Grande together on a raft and entered the United States.

"The Walls" is a brief section about the various border control measures in place along the US-Mexico border. In Chapter 4, Raul and Ernesto walked for days in the Texas desert. They became lost and were eventually picked up by border patrol. The twins were detained for two months while they waited to be transferred into the custody of their elder brother, Wilber Jr., who was living in California. In the brief section entitled "The Courthouse," readers see a group of unaccompanied minors appear in immigration court without legal representation. In Chapter 5, Ernesto and Raul received their court date, enrolled in school, and try to manage the trauma caused by their trip north.

"The Detained" is a short section about how private companies that own detention centers make money based on how many immigrants they hold at a given time. In Chapter 6, author Lauren Markham met Ernesto and Raul, who had become students at the school where she worked. She learned that they missed their court date. She helped them find legal representation and figure out what types of visas they may be eligible to apply for. "The Arrest" is a short section about the escalating violence on both sides of the law in El Salvador as law enforcement tries to curb the gang violence in the country. In Chapter 7, the twins and their lawyer worked hard to compile all of their paperwork in time for a new court date just before their eighteenth birthdays. The twins appeared in court on April 8th, and a judge granted their petition. This petition would most likely let them stay in the United States, pending review by immigration authorities.

"The Girls" is a short section about how the gang violence in El Salvador impacts women and girls specifically. In Chapter 8, Ernesto struggled with his mental health, turning to alcohol to deal with the traumas of migrating. At the same time, the twins and their family back home were becoming increasingly burdened by the debt that the twins owed their guide. The interest was causing the debt to grow faster than the twins could pay it. In September, the twins found out that they had officially been granted green cards. "The Failed" is a section about the many migrants who do not succeed in crossing the border to the United States but who are nevertheless determined to try again. In Chapter 9, Ernesto and Raul worked hard in restaurant jobs to both support themselves and pay off the debt back home, all while still trying to learn English and get through high school. Their grades suffered, and they still could not save enough money to pay down their debt.

"The Halt" is a short section is about a forced bus strike in El Salvador that demonstrates not only the violence of the gangs there but also their power over the local economy. In Chapter 10, the situation for the Flores family in El Salvador became more dire as drought ruined their harvest. The coyote debt continued to grow. Raul's mental health began deteriorating as well. He skipped school and started cutting himself. "The Long Walk" is a section about two groups of migrants who are walking north together from Honduras and El Salvador respectively. In Chapter 11, Ernesto and Raul's savings plan was derailed when Ernesto's girlfriend Sofia became pregnant. Ernesto was committed to supporting his child, and he could no longer afford to send money home. The burden of the coyote debt fell solely on Raul.

"The Land" is a section about the twins' elderly and ill father, who was determined to keep farming his land in El Salvador until he no longer could. In Chapter 12, Ernesto and Sofia's daughter is born. Meanwhile, Raul was struggling greatly under the burden of the debt and his mental health is suffering. He and his mother decided that the family would sell a portion of their land in El Salvador to pay off the debt all at once. Ernesto and Raul finally had a real chance to build new lives for themselves in the United States, while the future and safety of their family in El Salvador remained uncertain.

In the Afterword, the author calls for reforms to immigration policy in the United States, as well as efforts outside US border to improve circumstances in Central America so that fewer people feel that leaving home in the only option they have to ensure their personal safety.