Maria Alvarez is trapped in a rigid, tedious, stifling life in a rural community near Bogota. While on a search for a new job, she meets a young man who offers her excitement - and wealth to go with it. She will be a drug mule. Her tacit agreement has her heading to the United States along with her best friend Blanca. Once there, Maria is confronted with arrest, illness and humiliation -and she must conjure up all her strength and courage to get through the next few days. Though the film offers a glimpse into a world that few of us will ever see, Maria Full of Grace is primarily a story about a bright, strong-willed complex 17-year old woman in complex circumstances. Above all, it is an urgent tale of risk, determination and survival. As the title suggests, Maria has a grace which is "a potential for something beyond what she is able to realize in the circumstances where she starts." It is not a true story, but it is one that happens everyday.