Heriberto is fed up with the life he’s living on El Petaco—his family’s Mexican ranch. He’s tired of doing double the work since his older brother left for America. He’s sick of his father treating him like a second-class son. And he’s especially weary of existing in a world he considers antiquated and ordinary.

But Heriberto has a plan. Accompanied by his cousin Martín, Heriberto manages to escape the family ranch during the middle of the night in pursuit of a life of 1980s luxury. But on their journey to the land of opportunity, the duo must evade drug traffickers, traverse the dangerous slopes of the Michoacán mountains, and navigate their way through Mexico’s class prejudices.

Both a coming-of-age thriller and a meditation on family and culture, Petaco Dreams heralds the human spirit’s determination to risk it all for a dream.