If there were a Mojave Desert treasure map, it might lead you across the Morongo Basin and behind a shopping center. A sign promising “junk to gems” points the way. The hunt would end at a dusty plot ...

Moon-ho Kim lounged on a bed in his acupuncture stall with his arms folded behind his head, watching the Korean news on TV. He had worked for years as a construction worker, then an electrician to ...