Two hundred years after Ellen Ripley died bearing the Alien Queen, a group of scientists successfully produce a clone both of her and the alien. The new Ripley is different to the original in several respects, but some things never change. It is not long before Ripley is forced to team up with a gang of smugglers to repel the acid-blooded killing machines.

Growing up in East Los Angeles' gangland, cousins Miklo (Damian Chapa), Paco (Benjamin Bratt) and Cruz (Jesse Borrego) become more like brothers, forging a strong blood bond. When a simple twist of fate sends their lives veering in separate directions - Paco into the military, Miklo to San Quentin prison, and Cruz to a life of drug addiction - the trio continue to keep touch as they strive to achieve their goals.