Dog Lady is set in a neighborhood situated in an East Los Angeles barrio, where a young Latina full of great aspirations for her future is training for a marathon sponsored by a local Catholic Church.  Dogged by a suitor, she is unable to achieve her best until the local curandera, or faith healer - a loopy woman who lives with a pack of unruly dogs - endows her with magical powers which enable her to get a leg up on her fellow competitors in the marathon.