Pete (Jason Priestley) and Donna (Teri Polo) Stanhope are a young married couple living in L.A. who are trying to conceive a child.

They decide to go on vacation and wind up stranded in a small village in Mexico (the fictional town of Dommatina) due to car troubles.

In the meantime, Pete helps Father Arturo prepare for the annual fiesta, which is to occur in just a few days' time.

The main event of the fiesta involves a rickety old lever and pulley system wherein one lucky village child can "fly" around the plaza square.

The source of the tradition dates to the village's local saint, who was said to have come to Dommatina many years ago and have been befriended by a young crippled boy when no one else would speak to him.

However, during the flight Pepillo urges Father Arturo and a local villager to make the flying machine go faster and higher, straining it beyond its capabilities.