Act 1
Heroes and Saints is set in the agricultural valleys of central California, in a fictional town called McLaughlin (based on the real-life town of McFarland). McLaughlin is made up of Mexican immigrants who are farm workers in the fields and packing plants. Their work exposes them to toxic pesticides. In addition, the substandard housing right next to the fields was built on top of a dump site for toxic waste. The fields are sprayed regularly with pesticides and the runoff has polluted their water. The combination of unsafe living and working conditions has led to high rates of cancer and birth defects, most notably in the children of McLaughlin.
The play opens with the news that a child who died of cancer was hung up on a cross in the grape vineyards, a symbolic crucifixion as a form of political protest. The story gains the media’s attention, and news reporter Ana Perez comes to McLaughlin to cover the story. She meets Amparo, who speaks out about how Arrowhead, the company that owns the fields, prioritizes profit over their workers’ health. Amparo lives next to the Valle family, who have felt first-hand the impact these practices have on their family’s health. Cerezita, the protagonist of the play, was born without a full body because of high exposure to toxins in the womb. She appears on stage as a head, and moves around on an automated table-like contraption which she operates with her chin.
Cerezita’s mother, Dolores, is a deeply religious woman. She turns to God in the face of their suffering. Dolores clashes with her close friend Amparo, believing that organizing politically just invites more trouble. Cerezita has two siblings, Mario and Yolanda. Mario wants to escape McLaughlin; as a gay Chicano man he hopes to find freedom and a better life in San Francisco. Yolanda has a baby daughter Evalina, who becomes sick from the pesticides over the course of the play.
Cerezita befriends a Catholic priest named Juan who comes by to visit their family. As Dolores prohibits Cerezita from leaving the house, Juan is one of the few people outside her family whom Cerezita has contact with. Juan is impressed with Cerezita’s intellect and ability to understand the world around her. He struggles with how to minister in the community, and looks to Cerezita for advice and inspiration.
Amparo is fired from work because of her political activity, but rather than being silenced, she continues to fight for her community. The Valle family has a goodbye party for Mario, who decides to leave for San Francisco. Before leaving, Dolores and Mario talk about his sexuality. Mario hopes his mother can accept him, but Dolores is disapproving. She believes that Mario is sinning and that being gay makes him less of a man. Mario leaves without his mother’s blessing.
Act 2
The play picks up several months later. Evalina's health continues to worsen and Yolanda is distraught. Meanwhile, Dolores worries about Mario; the family has not heard from him since he left McLaughlin. In the face of the government’s lack of regard for the health and well-being of the Chicano families of McLaughlin, Amparo organizes a protest in Sacramento to hold them accountable. At the protest, mothers who have lost children to cancer step forward, saying their children’s names. Crying, Yolanda steps forward and reveals that Evalina has also died from cancer. While marching, a policeman singles Amparo out and beats her severely. She ends up in the hospital due to her injuries.
Afterward, Juan recounts to Cerezita what happened at the march. He wishes he’d done something to stop the beating but admits he was scared. Cerezita looks out at the grape vineyards saying the grapes look like thousands of crucified Christs. She sees only death. The Valle family prepares for Evalina’s funeral. With the recent tragedy, Dolores’s mental health worsens and she becomes paranoid and confused. Meanwhile, Cerezita is determined that Evalina’s death will not go unnoticed. She and Juan plan to hold a symbolic crucifixion for Evalina’s body but they get sidetracked in a moment of sexual tension.
Afterward, Juan runs out and sees Mario, who has returned for Evalina’s funeral. Mario reveals that he contracted AIDS, but does not have the nerve to tell his family. He reflects that there is just as much sickness and death in the city, although the causes are different. Wanting to put a stop to her community’s suffering, Cerezita enlists the help of neighborhood children to transform herself into the Virgin of Guadalupe. When Dolores sees Cerezita, she believes it’s a miracle and begins to pray to her. Word spreads with news of the miracle.
With her new respect and authority, Cerezita convinces Dolores to take her to Evalina’s funeral. Everyone is in awe when they see her. For the first time, the people of McLaughlin can see Cerezita in person. She uses the opportunity to speak to them, wanting to convince them to rise up and stop the bosses. Yolanda hands Juan Evalina’s body. With everyone watching, Juan and Cerezita make their way into the vineyards to raise her body onto a cross. At that moment, Arrowhead helicopters pass by and shoot them both. The town is enraged by this blatant violence and disregard for their lives. Mario cries out for them to burn the fields and everyone follows. The final scene of the play shows flames consuming the vineyards and the Valles’ house.
