The following version of the book was used to create this study guide: Quade, Kirstin Valdez. The Five Wounds. Norton and Company, Inc., New York, NY, 2021. Kindle AZW file.

Amadeo Padilla is 33-years-old when he is invited to be part of the Las Penas hermandad, a religious group of men who gather to pray and hold an annual procession depicting the walk Jesus took to his crucifixion. Everyone is surprised by the choice because Amadeo is known to be lazy. He still lives with his mother, Yolanda, who takes care of most of his daily needs. What Amadeo does not know is that Yolanda approached the head of the hermandad, Tio Tive (Uncle Tive), asking that Amadeo be selected in the hope that it would set him on the right path. Amadeo becomes caught up in the showmanship of the pageant, loses sight of the real purpose, and asks for real nails driven into his hands to demonstrate his commitment. A few hours later he is in the emergency room, claiming the injury was the result of a nail gun and bemoaning the lack of concern.

Amadeo is the father of a 15-year-old daughter, Angel, who is about to have a child of her own. He realizes that Angel turns 16-years-old on the day of the procession. She has recently come to stay with Amadeo after having an argument with her mother, Marissa. Angel is frightened by her situation and made this move because she feels her paternal grandmother, Yolanda, is the one person she can trust to truly help. The problem is that Yolanda is not at home when Angel arrives. When she returns a few days later, she is facing a crisis of her own, having been diagnosed with brain cancer and warned that she only months to live with no possibility of a cure. Yolanda plans to tell Amadeo and his sister, Valerie, but everyone depends on her – especially Amadeo – and Yolanda finds herself slipping back into the normal daily routines without telling anyone. Over the next weeks, she manages to be present as Angel has a son and goes through postpartum blues while trying to find a way to cope with the challenges of being a mother.

Amadeo begins to sense something is wrong with Yolanda. He has no idea of how serious it is because he is too wrapped up in himself to even question her. When Yolanda collapses in front of her boss, Amadeo and the rest of the family realize the seriousness of the situation. Forced now to face the end, Yolanda stays at home, often unable to put together coherent sentences. She can no longer care for herself, let alone her family, and she continues to worry about how they will manage without her.

After Yolanda's death, Amadeo begins drinking again. When Angel finds herself stranded in a dangerous part of town, Amadeo rushes to get her but has a wreck after almost hitting a coyote. To his horror, he realizes he did not buckle his grandson's car seat in, and he imagines the boy's tiny casket. Connor is fine; but, the mistake lies heavily between Amadeo and Angel. She does not immediately forgive him; however, they begin to settle into a life in the house Yolanda left them. While Angel is planning for the future, Amadeo finally realizes that life is not about finding one huge event that can overshadow all his past mistakes, but is about caring for the people he loves.