When nine-year-old Carla suffers a life-threatening accident, her mother, Carmen, must leave her behind and make the dangerous and illegal journey from Bolivia to the U.S., where she hopes to earn enough to save her daughter’s life. Working in New York to support Carla’s medical needs, Carmen struggles in vain to legalize her immigration status, and wrestles with the prospect of never seeing her daughter again.

Then, after six years of separation, Congress proposes “amnesty” legislation that could allow Carmen and Carla to be reunited at last. Filmed across three countries in a captivating cinematic narrative, La Americana is Carmen’s story, and the story of millions of illegal immigrants who must leave their families behind to pursue the elusive American dream.