In the Blood

In 2002, 14-year-old Ava wakes to see her drug lord father murdered by masked intruders. She grabs a shotgun and kills the two assailants, shaping her early grasp of violence and survival. The event defines her turbulent childhood in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Twelve years pass and Ava, having battled addiction, marries Derek Grant in Arlington. They meet at Narcotics Anonymous gatherings and choose each other as partners in a world that remains dangerous and unpredictable. The wedding marks a rare moment of stability before new troubles unfold.

Ava and Derek arrive on a Caribbean island for their honeymoon. They befriend Manny and are drawn to a nightclub, where Ava gets into a violent altercation with local patrons following a run-in with crime boss Big Biz. The incident foreshadows the danger that will follow them.

Manny invites them to ride El Viudador, a mile-long zip-line through the rainforest. Derek goes first and his harness snaps, sending him crashing to the ground. Ava, unable to ride, later finds him unconscious but alive and injured in the forest.

Unable to ride in the ambulance, Ava eventually reaches the hospital, only to be told that Derek was not admitted. She learns that none of the island's clinics acknowledge his arrival and begins to suspect foul play. She goes to the police to report him missing and starts her own search.

Ava interrogates a man on the island, threatening to drop him into the forest to obtain Derek's whereabouts. After her confrontation is recorded, Police Chief Garza orders her off the island via ferry. She escapes by breaking free in the ferry's restroom and swims back to resume the search.

Outside a cockfighting arena, Ava follows the man who drove the ambulance that had Derek earlier. A scuffle ensues, she interrogates him, and he is knocked out; his brother then complicates matters. In the chaos, Ava ends up killing one of the men, drawing renewed police attention.

At the police station, Chief Garza orders Ava jailed for her crimes on the island. That night, Ava realizes the officers plan to kill her in the cruiser, so she breaks free from her restraints and kills them. She then confronts Garza and demands answers about Derek's fate.

Garza explains that Derek died due to Elbar's mishandling of his injuries. He admits he lied to protect his daughter and warns that the U.S. government would intervene if the truth surfaced. The revelation devastates Ava and reframes the entire pursuit of her husband.

Feeling remorse for his actions, Garza commits suicide off-screen after the confession. Ava leaves his house with bloody footprints marking her resolve and grief. The moment marks a turning point as she resumes the search for Derek.

Manny comforts Ava at his house, then she makes a bold move to access the hospital. She kills a female attendant to steal an ID and disguises herself as a nurse named Kristy. Inside the hospital, she interrogates Elbar and demands answers about Derek's whereabouts.

Ava discovers Derek alive in a wheelchair, being moved into the hospital by Lugo's men. Elbar explains the plan to use stem cell donors to treat Lugo's cancer, revealing Derek as a potential donor. Ava fights her way through Lugo's men, freeing Derek and preparing for a final showdown.

In the operating room, Ava disables Lugo's men and retrieves Derek. A gunfight erupts in the corridors and outside, culminating with Big Biz killing Lugo and telling Ava and Derek to leave. The couple escapes the island on a boat, ending the ordeal.