The film draws inspiration from the true story of Manuel Acosta Meza, a Tijuana journalist assassinated in 1956 for his efforts to expose organized crime and corruption.

[1] In April 1956, schoolteacher Alberto Rodriguez arrives at the office of the El Sol newspaper in Tijuana, Mexico, seeking help from its editor, Manuel Acosta Mesa.

Alberto has been severely beaten by members of a local crime syndicate after reporting that one of their operatives, Miguel Fuentes, was selling drugs near a school.

After collapsing and being rushed to the hospital, Alberto’s plight drives Manuel to confront Peron Diaz, a notorious crime boss operating out of a nightclub managed by an American, Eddie March.

Struggling with his involvement in Peron’s operations, Eddie confides in his pregnant wife, Liz, that he feels trapped by financial dependency on the syndicate.

[2] The film is based on the life and death of Manuel Acosta Meza, editor of El Imparcial, who was known for his investigative reporting on organized crime in Tijuana.

[5] A bust of Acosta Meza now stands in Tijuana, near a local monument to freedom of speech, honoring his commitment to exposing corruption.