At first Gloria is able to get away, though unable to find Suzu, but she is then captured by a local cartel leader named Lino (Ismael Cruz Cordova) and forced to cooperate with him – told that it will eventually lead her to being reunited with Suzu.
Things go horrifically wrong, however, when a night out clubbing is interrupted by an assassination attempt.
As she gets roped into missions that are more and more dangerous, she starts to plan a way that she can regain her freedom and save her friend.
Based on a script by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, Miss Bala centers on Gloria, a young Mexican-American woman, who travels south of the border in hopes of using her makeup skills to help her best friend, Suzu (Christina Rodlo), win a local beauty pageant.