Under the Same Moon

Rosario illegally crosses the US–Mexico border to reach Los Angeles, leaving her young son Carlitos behind in his Mexican hometown with his ailing grandmother. Their separation sets up a long-distance bond that is maintained through weekly phone calls. Her risky journey highlights the precarious choices many migrants make in pursuit of a better life.

As part of their routine, Rosario describes the area around the payphone to Carlitos during their weekly calls. The payphone becomes a symbol of connection across the border. These descriptions anchor Carlitos's sense of where his mother might be and fuel his determination to reunite with her.

On Carlitos's ninth birthday, his grandmother dies in her sleep, leaving him shaken and alone. His aunt and uncle move to seize custody to secure his mother's remittances, increasing the pressure on Carlitos to reunite with Rosario. The birthday tragedy intensifies his resolve to reach his mother.

Carlitos pays coyotes to help him cross through El Paso–Juárez into Mexico, but the plan falters when their car is towed. He exits the vehicle in a lot in El Paso and loses the money he meant to use for a ticket. A man who tries to help him is instead tempted to exploit him, prompting a local woman to intervene and pull him into a stranger's world.

A local woman takes Carlitos in after the exploitative attempt, and he enters life among undocumented immigrants. One immigrant agrees to take him to Los Angeles after their work, but a police raid on the tomato farm disrupts their plans. Carlitos escapes with another immigrant, Enrique, and their journey continues.

Carlitos and Enrique hitchhike toward Tucson, but tensions flare as Enrique initially wants nothing to do with him. After a heated exchange, Enrique insists Carlitos should leave, yet he ultimately remains part of the boy's trek. The uneasy partnership marks a turning point in their survival story.

Carlitos secures employment for both himself and Enrique at a restaurant in Tucson, providing a steady link to the next leg of their journey. The work offers some stability amid their uncertain path. They begin to rely on each other more as they move forward toward Los Angeles.

With Enrique's help, Carlitos tracks down his absent father, Oscar Aguilar Pons, and they meet. Oscar promises to help, but he ultimately abandons Carlitos, leaving him disappointed and more determined to rely on his own resolve. The encounter deepens Carlitos's sense of independence.

Enrique decides to transport Carlitos to Los Angeles, and they board a bus together. The voyage marks a crucial leg in Carlitos's quest to find Rosario and reunite with his mother. The journey tests their bond as they navigate the uncertainties of travel.

The pair arrives in East Los Angeles and follows a lead to a PO box, hoping it will guide them to Rosario's payphone calls. After a day of searching, they rest on a bench, unknowingly passing right by Rosario's usual spot. The tension between pursuit and near-miss grows.

Doña Carmen informs Rosario that Carlitos has crossed the border and that Rosario's own mother is dead, prompting a surge of urgency. She decides to return to Mexico to search for her son, weighing drastic options to avoid losing him again. The decision drives the next, fateful leg of their journey.

As Rosario boards a bus, she glimpses a little boy at a payphone outside the bus station, realizing that Carlitos may be the one who knows how to find her. The sight crystallizes the long-awaited hope that their paths will converge soon. The moment fuses urgency with emotional anticipation.

In the morning, Enrique and Carlitos are confronted by police officers, and Enrique distracts them by throwing coffee. He is arrested as a result, leaving Carlitos to navigate the danger on his own. The setback heightens the stakes of their quest to reach Rosario.

Carlitos eventually finds the payphone and Rosario, and they see each other across the street. Rosario tells him not to cross yet, as the crosswalk light shifts from the red hand to the white figure walking, signaling a fragile moment of reunion. The emotional encounter culminates in the credits rolling on their renewed connection.