The film then jumps ahead a few years where we find Olmos as Santana, a young man growing up in the barrio of East Los Angeles during the late 50's.  While attempting to hide from rival gang members,  Santana and his two closest childhood friends break into a local store where one of the boys is shot by the owner.  The three are incarcerated in Juvenile Hall, where Santana stabs another boy after being raped by him. 
 
This act lands Santana in Folsom Prison, one of the toughest, most violent prisons in California.  From behind prison walls, Santana and his childhood "crime partners" (intensely portrayed by William Forsythe and Pepe Serna), rise to top positions in the Mexican Mafia (known as "EME").  When Santana is finally paroled, his struggles continue as he tries to maintain his control of the organization, while realizing that his life has been wasted by gang violence. 
 
This film is extremely violent and should not be viewed by young children.  Some will see it as nothing more than an exploitation film on gangs and drugs.  However, it is (in my opinion, as one who worked gangs on the streets of Los Angeles for over 13 years), one of the finest representations of what life in the ghetto is like and gives a clear and accurate picture of the misery that exists behind prison walls.
 
 

Trivia & Goofs above courtesy of The Internet Movie Database.