Spoils of the Desert begins with an innocent business trip to Laredo by import shop owner Mike Conner. He wants to buy a new line of ceramic goods for his El Paso shop, but unbeknownst to him, the brand he seeks has a special feature: some of the pieces contain cocaine. When the warehouse manager sells Mike a batch of the goods intended for drug kingpin Reynaldo Gomez, Mikes troubles begin. Accompanied by his girlfriend, Sandra, Mike faces danger from all sidesthe law, the drug lord and his henchmen, wild animals, and perhaps the toughest adversary of all: the Chihuahuan Desert. For several harrowing days and nights, the pair fights to stay alive and ahead of the men who want them dead. In the process, they learn plenty about the drug business and survival among its players, but even more about themselves and their own fragile relationship.