Michael Portillo strikes oil in the suburbs of Los Angeles, contemplates his navel in the orange groves of Riverside, makes a California roll and paints a pretty picture in Laguna Beach. It is Mexican Independence Day and the locals are celebrating the country's hard-won independence from Spain in the early 19th century. There is dancing, singing and feasting in the streets and Michael joins the party. He learns that half of the population of LA is Latino, mainly of Mexican descent, and hears how after only a few decades, Mexico lost half its territory and California became part of the United States.