A year at a California school for at-risk kids is chronicled through the eyes of three students, including new dad Lee, who's yet to grasp the responsibilities of fatherhood; Jennifer, who was sexually abused; and Joey, whose home life is unstable. Along with their classmates, they've been deemed lost causes by the system writ large. The school's principal and teachers see potential where others do not, however, and strive to help the students overcome whatever it is that's holding them back.