A biracial (half-Anglo, half-Mexican) young man with light skin who feels a desperate need to prove his loyalty to his Chicano roots. After a murder conviction, he is sent to San Quentin State Prison, where he rises through the ranks of the fictional prison gang La Onda .

Originally a tough gang member, Paco chooses military service as an alternative to prison and later becomes an LAPD narcotics detective. His journey puts him on a direct collision course with Miklo as they end up on opposite sides of the law.

A gifted artist whose dreams of escaping the barrio are derailed by personal tragedy and a subsequent descent into heroin addiction.