A beloved merengue song-a phantom from the fifties-connects a haunted cast of characters, each in search of redemption. Elderly merengue star Ignacio dos Santos wrote this popular song-"Estrellita Luminosa." He once did the mambo with Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe and lived a fulfilling life. After enduring twenty years as an alcoholic in self-exile, he now dwells in a masochistic world of memories and regrets, as he searches for a reason not to self-destruct. He finds sanctuary in the brutal cockfighting pits he once turned his back on. Through the victories of Mr.Mestizo, a champion rooster, Ignacio chases his deliverance towards the grave.
Also in the Dominican Republic are young Maximo and his sister, Lourdes. Tragically, a crocodile severs Maximo's leg and shatters his dream of one day pitching for the New York Mets. The incident sets his life on a collision course with a vicious human trafficker who is after his sister. In order to save her, Maximo must conquer his fears and battle against his own physical and emotional handicaps.
After Jaragua saves a man's life in prison, a secret society welcomes him into a world of death matches and drug smuggling. Despite the madness in his life, he remains devoted to a beautiful merengue singer named Estrellita. He must now choose between the darkness within and the only woman he has ever loved. All of these damaged characters have decisions to make, but there's no telling whether their choices will bring them happiness or damnation.