Like any twelve-year-old kid, Jose Maldonado had dreams. Jose sometimes dreamed of becoming a fine artist, but the son of a poor Mexican farmer had to spend most of his time just thinking about how to survive. And since his mother's death, Jose's only dream was to be reunited with his father who had gone north to find work.

But Jose's attempt to cross the border with his pet dog Sanchez turns into a nightmare in the world of the illegal alien. At the mercy of strangers at a migrant worker camp, Jose and Sanchez make a run for their lives after Sanchez, trying to protect Jose, sinks his teeth into one of the "enemy."

Hiding out in a church, Jose and Sanchez become the center of a "miracle" that finally reunites Jose with his father and gives him a new vision of a future where dreams can come true.