SYNOPSIS:

Lana Lindstrom is an award-winning journalist in Los Angeles in her mid 30’s. She has maintained her sensual good looks and tantalizing figure. She also has been in the trenches of journalism for over 10 years and resides in a “cushy” TV Anchor job with a major network that also owns a newspaper. She is well liked, respected and socializes with powerful politicians as well as trendy celebrities. She is enjoying success from a whimsical article surrounding the uproarious immigration of a terrier dog (Liberty) that crossed the border from Mexico. During our opening credits, Lana works her way through a collage of award ceremonies…highlighted by her receiving the prestigious ASCPA Humanitarian of the Year award. Her fifteen-year-old daughter, Rachael, is in attendance. Lana’s glowing acceptance speech is interrupted by Rachael’s sudden collapse. She is rushed to a nearby hospital. Tests reveal that she will die or be permanently remanded to a dialysis machine if she does not receive a kidney transplant. Lana returns home from the hospital, exhausted. She is comforted by longtime nanny and confidant, Maury. Lana explains there is little hope because of the difficulty involved in finding a matching donor. Maury pledges to do what she can to help and clandestinely removes the donor information from Lana’s belongings. Maury returns in the morning and surprises a weary Lana with stunning news that she has found a match for Rachael’s kidney. Her daughter, Sophia, is a match and wants to donate one of her kidneys to Rachael -- whom she feels is the equivalent of a sister. The girls have grown up together and are extremely close. Rachael’s surgery is a success. Because of Lana’s reporter celebrity status, Sophia is found out to be an illegal immigrant and is picked up by ICE when she leaves the hospital. While awaiting a deportation hearing Maury cannot bear to see her daughter in “jail” and agrees to forgo the hearing and allows Sophia to be deported to Mexico. Maury has recently exhibited an escalating tension around Lana. Lana pries from Maury that Sophia has been deported. Sophia had been returned to Mexico and had planned to cross over into the US with her younger brother via a “Coyote” (a body smuggler). No one has heard from or seen either since. Lana pledges all of her support and promises to find “their” daughter. During her trip, Lana reunites with Border Patrol Officer John Saxon – a handsome cowboy of a man with a devilish grin. Saxon is a dedicated officer who doesn’t have much sympathy for immigrants but he hates the murderous scum that bring them so much suffering. Saxon is sent to confront some vigilante style citizens who call themselves “Minute Men”, Lana tags along. There is a confrontation between Saxon and the “red necks”. Saxon makes an impression that there is only “one Law” and he’s it. Lana bribes some locals and is able to interview people who have crossed over into the U.S. and learns about their struggles. Lana witnesses first hand the true state of poverty and human suffering. Many are willing to risk starvation or even death for the slight chance of bettering their lives. Lana discovers that many are regularly beaten, raped or killed by “Coyote” & “Pollero” runners. Saxon becomes attracted to Lana and warns her that there are many “Coyote’s” who would just as soon see her dead if she pries too deep into their secret business. She learns that the Coyotes use many of these poverty-stricken immigrants as mules to carry drugs or as whores. During her investigation, Lana is almost kidnapped but Saxon intervenes and warns her to stay away from a certain crossing town that houses immigrants who are waiting to cross the border with their Coyotes. She promises not to go there but can’t resist. Lana bribes her way into a Coyote’s lair and attempts to get information about Maury’s children. She is laughed at and roughed up by a band of Coyote’s lead by their leader…“One eye.” Lana is held captive with several other women who are to be sold to a cartel. Saxon arrives just in time and blasts his way in and out of the Coyote’s lair. Lana insists on freeing the other women but Saxon refuses. Lana tires to help two immigrant girls that the minutemen had caught earlier. Saxon’s partner, Denny Kendricks, an African-American veteran of the Border Patrol, is insistent that the immigrant girls be deported back to Mexico. He argues with an adamant Lana that illegal aliens take jobs away from urban American youth and that these girls are not political or religious refugees. Saxon goes to his Captain for help but is forced to send the girls back to Mexico, which enrages Lana. At dinner Lana queries Saxon about his emotional connection to the plight of the crossing immigrants. Saxon states “it’s not personal it’s his job”. They both open up about their lives and a bond is formed. Saxon convinces Lana to stay with him for the night for her protection. They become enamored and begin a passionate love scene. After they consummate their newfound amour, the motel they’re in is fire bombed. The new lovers barely escape. Saxon’s prize truck is fire bombed as well. Now it’s personal and Saxon is more than willing to take the risk and get involved. Using the border patrol’s undercover connections, along with favors from a hot shot Senator Lana has ties with, they receive information vital to finding one of the Coyotes that tried to kidnap Lana. They lure One Eye’s partner Benicio into a trap. After subduing him, they force him to reveal who he works for AND how his operation clicks. They are shocked when they learn that U.S. corporations are in cahoots with Mexican Coyote groups to provide cheap labor for meat packing plants, oil companies and a co-op of agricultural growers. These corporate giants employ cheap labor while saving on medical and unemployment insurance, social security and more. The US government is also named as a participating culprit. Lana, in a moment of rage, lashes out and breaks Benicio’s nose. She then shows him a picture of Maury’s children and demands information about them. Saxon has to pull Lana off the bloodied captive. Benicio informs them of where the bodies might be and that ultimately he will be set free because the U.S. and Mexican governments sanction his actions. He also warns them, with evil intent, that they will be the hunted very soon. Benicio tries to escape by jumping out of a third story window only to plummet to his death by being impaled on a rod-iron crucifix. The next day, a team of border patrol and Sheriff Forensics descend onto an underground cave sight. The gruesome discovery of 8 bodies – all bound and shot to death – awaits them. Lana finds Sophia’s dead brother’s remains. Saxon leads her away from the carnage but not before she removes a ring from Jorge’s decomposing body. Distraught, Lana is unsure that Sophia is still alive. With a clue from the now dead Benicio’s pockets, Saxon deduces where Sophia s held hostage. He crosses the border into Mexico with Lana to investigate a desolate motel and old smuggler’s airstrip. Slipping into the motel they find and free Sophia. When the alarm is sounded they have to battle their way out of the area, killing and enraged One Eye and his thugs, destroying a plane and several attacking vehicles in the process. Cashing in on a favor, Lana and Saxon gain access to an elaborate computer network. Using information found on Benicio, they construct a matrix that leads to a large money laundering operation involving corporations, banks and politicians connected to the monies. One major account belongs to a US Senator, Robert Sebastian. It turns out this Senator and Lana are associates and she is horrified when she remembers she called on him for help in this investigation. Just as they are about to download the information, it begins to de-construct in front of their eyes. They cannot control the dissolution of information and it is completely wiped out before their eyes. Several National Security agents appear and force the two into government sedans. The drive is harrowing and Lana and Saxon are worried their time may be up. The Senator greets them. He launches into a monologue about what they have stuck their noses into. Six billion dollars gets pumped back into Mexico every year to help impoverished families. There is no way America could afford to pay the true cost of its picked fruit and vegetables. He claims that Americans have become to “snooty” to clean pools or pave roads for pennies. They would rather receive welfare, SSI or disability. Americans don’t want to handle hazardous waste, toxic chemicals or major pollutants. And they don’t want to pay the true cost for other people to do those things. Many Americans are fine with turning a blind eye so they can enjoy inexpensive produce, refined oil and packed meat. Lana now having intricate emotional details about the suffering and plight of the illegal aliens argues back vehemently escalating the Senators ire until he uncovers freshly dug graves. The Senator gives them a choice between silence – or an unfortunate accident. Saxon takes the hint and convinces Lana to give up the story and he’ll resign form the Border Patrol. One of the agents then drives up with their car. He throws Saxon the keys and they drive off to freedom. Lana is finishing an interview on CNN with Larry King. She has recently won a Pulitzer Prize for her in-depth, widely acclaimed story on the ‘economics of poverty.’ He gives praise for her emotional out-pouring and great journalism. But he points out that she didn’t divulge any names and generalized the culprits. Lana side-swipes his comments by stating…”It’s enough that I exposed the problem; the rest is up to the authorities.” Lana, Rachael and Saxon meet up with Maury and Rachel. They sit on the front porch and Lana gingerly unwraps a scarf with her son’s the ring in it. Maury begins to weep and Lana embraces her. Maury thanks them for their efforts and mentions that the items will give her closure. Lana and Saxon leave arm-in-arm with Rachael. Fade to black… As the screen now reveals graphics to viewers on how many people die each year while trying to cross into the US. Also revealed is how many Mexicans actually make it into the US and how much money is generated by illegal aliens on both sides of the border. (END)

COYOTE CROSSING