Following the discovery that the Mexican drug cartels are smuggling terrorists across the border into the United States, the CIA recruits hardened federal agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) and feared ex-hitman Alejandro Gillick (Benicio Del Toro) to try and stop them. However, after kidnapping the daughter of a notorious drug lord in a bid to turn the cartels against each other, the pair soon find trouble as the Mexican authorities uncover the scheme. With tensions mounting, things go from bad to worse as Gillick goes rogue, leaving Graver to form a new team to try and hunt him down.