Leading a lonely, almost hand-to-mouth existence, Jim Hanson, a financially hard-pressed rancher on the Arizona-Mexico border and decorated former scout sniper for the U.S. Marine Corps, is on the ropes. Still reeling from the loss of a dear one, Jim spends his days with his inseparable companion, Jackson, the sheepdog, unaware that his already complicated life is about to take an unexpected turn. When desperate Rosa entrusts Jim with the life of her young son, Miguel, an all-out war with the violently brutal henchmen of cartel leader Mauricio breaks out. Suddenly Hanson has one more problem to deal with, and the road to Chicago, where Miguel's relatives are, is long and fraught with danger.