The years passed, and yet Jimmy Barraza, an undocumented Honduran immigrant living in New Orleans, never could work up the nerve to ask his longtime girlfriend Lilly Zabala to marry him. He worked on post-Katrina construction sites; she cooked meals for laborers. They had two daughters, and despite the uncertainty of his immigration status, things were going well for them.

Then one day, their lives turned upside down when Jimmy was picked up in an immigration raid and detained for 28 days. While in lock-up, Jimmy promised himself he’d finally tie the knot with Lilly when he got out, and dreamed up a romantic proposal she’d never forget.