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On a small ranch nestled within the volcanic mountains of western Mexico, a nine-year-old boy named Francisco runs away from his abusive uncle in search of a better life. The uncle has been looting a pre-Columbian tomb and pursues the boy to protect his secret. The uncle has unknowingly disturbed the spirit of a long dead Tarascan Indian king. The spirit of the king aids the boy by twisting the fate and circumstance of the mortal world. Thinking that he has found refuge with his cousin Esteban in a distant town, Francisco nevertheless does not know that his cousin is helping his uncle deliver the looted treasure. During the festival of the Day of the Dead, the uncle comes to forcefully take the boy back. Two men sent by an art dealer to find the source of the treasure follow Francisco and his uncle. Intending to dispose of Francisco, the uncle takes him to the tomb, which is located by a remote lake at the bottom of an extinct volcano. The evil men drown the uncle and almost drown the boy until the spirit of the king intervenes, saving Francisco and restoring peace and harmony to the ranch. |