This is the story of a teenage boy (Santé Aguilera) from southern Mexico who migrates to the U.S. in search of a better life. Along the way he is forced to do battle with bandits, coyotes, a man (El Jaguar) feared for his cat-like prowess, the Border Patrol and a group of abandoned teenagers who live in a tunnel beneath the U.S. Mexico border. Helping him in his struggles is a replica of an ancient Zapotec weapon presented to him on his 16th birthday by his uncle. The weapon plays a pivotal role in saving his own life as well as that of others who have come to depend on him. In the U.S. Santé's life becomes entwined with that of the local sheriff (Earl Culpepper) whose relationship with his own teenage son (Eric) has always been cool. In time, Eric's jealousy towards his father's new Mexican friend (Santé) becomes the centerpiece of a trial in which Eric is accused of vehicular homicide. In the aftermath of the trial, the sheriff, once an ardent anti-immigrationist, undergoes a character change which puts him at odds with both his family and the law enforcement community.