The principal at a local high school has developed a reputation among the students and teachers for his unorthodox methods. When he comes down hard on the rebellious Cata for suspected drug use, he discovers there is more to her story. He sets out to help her, a decision with precipitous consequences.

Mariano, 16, inexplicably and without warning, shoots himself twice and improbably survives. Then, life goes on. His brother pursues a romance with a girl working at a fast-food joint, his mother takes off on a trip with a stranger, and Mariano recruits a woman to join his medieval wind ensemble.