Synopsis
Day of the Dead
On a small ranch nestled within the volcanic mountains of Michoacán, Mexico, a nine-year-old boy named Francisco runs away from his abusive uncle, Carlos, in search of a better life. Unbeknownst to Francisco, his uncle is actually his father who has been looting a pre-Columbian tomb and selling the artifacts to a collector in the United States. A cat and mouse game ensues as Carlos pursues the boy to protect his secrets. Even though Francisco had been told his mother was someone else who had died at his birth, Carmen, his real mother, was living on the ranch with her husband Miguel. Carmen, who had been raped by Carlos just weeks before her marriage to Miguel, was persuaded because of her husband’s jealousy and anger, to give up the baby boy to Carlos. Carlos, by opening the tomb, has unknowingly disturbed the spirit of a long-dead ancestor. The spirit, identifying himself to the boy as his grandfather many times removed, aids the boy in his quest for a better life by twisting the fate and circumstance of the mortal world. Meanwhile, in the United States the collector enlists the help of two Mexican henchmen to find, by any means, the source of the pre-Columbian treasure. Back in Mexico, Francisco, aided by a friend, gets a ride to a distant town where he is given shelter by his cousin Esteban and his wife Maria. Thinking that he has found safe refuge with his cousin, Francisco, unfortunately, does not know that Esteban is helping Carlos sell and deliver the looted treasure. Against the wishes of his wife, Esteban, not believing the boy’s story of abuse, sends a letter telling Carlos that Francisco is with him. During the festival of Day of the Dead, the uncle comes and forcefully takes the boy back. Unbeknownst to the uncle, the collector, along with three henchmen, follow them to find the source of the treasure. Intending to dispose of Francisco, the uncle takes him to the tomb located by a remote lake at the bottom of an extinct volcano where they are confronted by the collector and company. The henchmen and the collector’s plan to drown Carlos and the boy is thwarted by the spirit whose identity is revealed to be the last king of the Tarascan empire. The collector and his accomplices have a falling out and end up paying the ultimate price for their ill deeds. With the collector out of the way, Carlos seizes the opportunity to make good his plan to silence the boy and others. The spirit of the King and the boy’s real mother, Carmen, intervene killing Carlos and saving Francisco. The truth restored, Carmen and Miguel claim Francisco as their own, bringing love, peace and harmony to the ranch.
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