One hot night on the Rio Grande, a corrupt drug deal goes the wrong way. Police set them- selves against soldiers, and soldiers die. Lieutenant Mario Oliveros should be among them, but he swims for his life to Langtry, Texas. Officially, he's a dead hero. Alive, in Mexico, he'd be dead soon enough. Through no fault of his own, he has become an illegal. Set in today's Mexico, Dallas, and the Texas Panhandle, The Illegal charts Mario's journey across desert and urban landscapes, seeking honest work and a place to rest. Slowly, an old dream, turned American Dream, asserts itself. But it's hard to dream when you're illegal. Current, prophetic, and often humorous, Mario's story brings a welcome, human dimension to the immigration debate. The Illegal is a fast-paced tale about one man's dangerous journey toward freedom.