A struggling comic resorts to extreme measures to prevent his party-girl ex-wife from gaining custody of their young son.

Illegal immigrant Maria arrives in Los Angeles from Mexico with her young son, Miguelito. She is searching for the boy's father, who came years before to find work and never returned. Confused and disoriented, she is fortunate to meet Meche, a young, beautiful, fun-loving, and street-smart Latina. Meche helps her find a place to stay, introduces her to life in L.A., including some of its eccentricities, and assists in her search. Good-hearted Maria finds her husband, but he has made a new life with a blond "gringa" wife and new child. She quietly slips away without confronting him. She and Miguelito begin a new life without him.