Ana Sanchez would like her senior year at Aztlan High to go smoothly. But her twin brother, Eduardo, who dropped out and was thinking about joining the Los Rios gang, is found dead on the tracks across from the high school. The only clue he scratches in the dirt as he dies: the word "coyote." Though her teacher warns her against investigating when the police drop the matter, Ana must find out. A bullet through her car window raises the stakes, as does the handsome gringo son of the teacher she's in hiding with. When the police arrest Leo Chacon, the leader of Los Rios, Ana knows he didn't do it, and that the real killer is out there still, hunting her. Ana must uncover the real killer and prove Leo Chacon not guilty if she hopes to survive and finish school, not to mention get into college.