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.