Emmanuel opens on the day Manny Ayala's best friend is killed in a stand-off of cartel related violence. As Manny struggles to come of age in the shadow of his brother Juan's legitimate business and their half-brother Luis' powerful rank in the Juarez Cartel, he discovers family secrets that force him to choose whether he will remain in Mexico, or leave the violence of Ciudad Juarez behind him and begin a new life, one that's different from everything he's ever known.