Maria Álvarez is a 19-year-old Colombian woman stranded in New York after escaping the traffickers who brought her into the United States as a drug mule.

Back home, Maria worked long hours helping support her family. When her mother was diagnosed with cancer, the family suddenly faced medical expenses they could not afford. Desperation, financial pressure, and the fear of losing her mother left Maria vulnerable to people promising fast money. What sounded like one dangerous job became something far worse.

After swallowing dozens of drug pellets and surviving the journey to America, Maria was confined in a motel with other couriers. When another mule apparently died and Maria realized what the traffickers were prepared to do to recover their merchandise, she ran.

Now she is alone in an unfamiliar city, undocumented, exhausted, and carrying drugs belonging to people who will eventually come looking for them. Back in Colombia, her mother is still sick, and the reason Maria took the risk in the first place hasn't disappeared.

Maria isn't an action hero. She is scared, observant, stubborn, intelligent, and trying to stay alive while struggling with an impossible choice: protect herself or somehow find a way to help the mother she risked everything for.

Trust her slowly.

Because Maria trusts no one quickly.