On May 14, 2003, the familiar risk taken by hopeful Mexican immigrants attempting to illegally cross into the United States took a tragic turn. At least 74 people bound for Houston were crammed inside a sweltering truck trailer found abandoned near Victoria, Texas—19 of them died. Bodies were found stacked on top of one another in what was described as a “human heap of desperation.” At the root of this grisly tragedy is a 25-year-old Honduran-born woman named Karla Chavez who, after months of investigation, was found to be the leader of the “human trafficking cell” responsible for the tragedy.

Through interviews with survivors who had the courage to share their stories and conversations with the victims’ families, and in examining the political implications of the incident on both U.S. and Mexican immigration policies, Jorge Ramos tells the story of one of the most heartbreaking episodes of our nation’s history of immigration.