Based on the true life experiences of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca, the film focuses on half-brothers Paco and Cruz, and their bi-racial cousin Miklo. It opens in 1972, as the three are members of an East L.A. gang known as the "Vatos Locos", and the story focuses on how a violent crime and the influence of narcotics alter their lives. Miklo is incarcerated and sent to San Quentin, where he makes a "home" for himself. Cruz becomes an exceptional artist, but a heroin addiction overcomes him with tragic results. Paco becomes a cop and an enemy to his "carnal", Miklo.

18-year-old Angelina shuffles between school, a dead-end job, her exploitative boyfriend, and home, where her life consists of cleaning up after her alcoholic mother and protecting her younger sister from their menacing stepfather. After arranging an escape to San Francisco with her best friend Andrew, she soon finds herself dating a coke-addicted attorney and becoming immersed in the local porn industry, mentored by lesbian director Margaret, who has more than just a professional interest in Angelina's talents.

An examination of mental health told through the intense world of a chef navigating trauma, identity, and artistry in the heat of a high-stakes kitchen.