Living in upstate New York, Ray Eddy finds herself alone with her kids and completely broke when her gambler husband runs off with their savings. An answer to her problems seems to come in the form of Lila Littlewolf, another poor single mother who is involved in a risky operation transporting Chinese and Pakistani immigrants across the frozen St. Lawrence River from Canada to the USA. Centred on a stunning, Oscar®-nominated performance from indie veteran Melissa Leo (21 Grams), Frozen River illuminates the grim reality of the desperate struggle for economic survival which motivates those involved in human trafficking.