"How much does love have to hurt before it is not love?" is the question that plagues Antonio as the past demons of domestic violence resurface at the hands of his partner, Kirk. Antonio hides his physical and emotional pain from his all-knowing mother, Cynthia, who suffered such a tremendous amount of abuse at the hands of Antonio's father that Antonio became a nurse to heal pain that he could not heal as a child. Antonio is jolted out of his denial by one of his patients, Michelle , who is also, a frequent victim of domestic violence. While Michelle does not consider herself a victim, but as simply part of a couple that "loves hard and fight hard", a critical incident involving Michelle at the clinic forces Antonio to confront his own situation and reevaluate the "magic and tragic" of his life with Kirk before it is too late.