Luke and Nikky, a young couple with a baby, leave Detroit headed for a job and their dreams in California. In a Texas town near the Mexican border, Dean, a low-life gas-station owner, steals their cash when they're not looking. They're stuck, with just a few days before the job starts. She gets work as a waitress, and the only way Luke can get some quick cash is to hook up with Dean, who brings Mexican workers across the border at night under the nose of the border patrol. Will Luke get the cash so they can get to Pomona, or will his crossing into lawlessness get him in trouble? Dean also has his eye on Nikky: is she safe?