Emilio (Jairo Osuna) is a Mexican teenager who tries to save his younger sister after she's abducted by relatives who cross into the United States. But Emilio's own attempt at an illegal crossing lands him in the clutches of a ruthless drug smuggler (James Bardo). When he finally reaches the U.S., Emilio gets help from a sympathetic car mechanic (Damian Chapa) but still faces daunting odds in the violent world that the border has created.