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