Eddie, a young Mexican American, strives to carve out a better life for himself in Fresno, California. Grappling with the loss of his father, best friend, and cousin, he faces a relentless struggle against the negative influences within his community, including guns, drugs, limited opportunities, and cultural stereotypes. Battling his own sense of hopelessness, he often feels overwhelmed. In the initial chapters, friends and family urge him to take up arms and seek revenge for his cousin's death. However, Eddie is determined to survive in a world seemingly set against him.

Rejecting the path of drugs and violence, Eddie commits to a life of integrity, even if it means enduring the hardships of temporary manual labor. Despite having already struggled with his community college education, Eddie's prospects seem bleak for much of the story. When he takes a landscaping job for a white man across town and the man's truck is stolen from in front of Eddie's apartment, Eddie finds himself accused of the theft. Adding to his woes, he is persistently harassed by local hoodlums. As he and a friend attempt to retrieve the stolen truck, his friend is stabbed. Eddie realizes that to survive, he must break free from the constraints of the barrio. In his desperation, Eddie considers enlisting in the military. By the story's conclusion, Eddie understands that his perseverance and refusal to succumb to adversity define him as a survivor.

Although Buried Onions offers no simple solutions to enduring social issues, Eddie discovers hope in the fields surrounding Fresno and gains a growing awareness that he needs others to survive in the barrio. Few adolescent novels present such an unflinching look at the challenges of surviving in a central California Mexican-American community. Despite many of Eddie's dreams faltering as soon as they begin, he continues to seek out new opportunities. Buried Onions provides a distinct portrayal of an older adolescent navigating a world where the complexities of finding a job and making ends meet are never fully resolved.