David is a passionate and observant young man from the South Florida projects who can go back and forth between two distinct personas that reflect his surroundings - one of the streets that raised him, the other of the school for gifted kids that he attends - but it takes an emotional toll on him.
His hard-working single mother is a former drug user doing her best to raise her boy right, even if it means she is rarely home. While she manages to make ends meet, she ultimately is relying on David to help them both make their way out of poverty.