Jaded ex-CIA operative John Creasy reluctantly accepts a job as the bodyguard for a 10-year-old girl in Mexico City. They clash at first, but eventually bond, and when she's kidnapped he's consumed by fury and will stop at nothing to save her life.

The love secrets of a large family are revealed during a trajinera tour on Xochimilco, culminating in a suicide attempt during a jackpot drawing.