The story has four threads all of which revolve around the drug trade between America and Mexico; One involves a Mexican cop, not adverse to the odd crooked deal himself, but overwhelmed and dismayed by the suffocating level of corruption; another has an American drug baron's wife fighting to maintain her lifestyle and marriage when her husband is arrested, while the final two involve a drug csar trying to deal with his own daughters addiction and two American cops fighting a relentlessly loosing battle to keep the drugs off the streets. Traffic is a masterful drama/thriller, with superb acting and direction that keeps the multi layered story gripping throughout.