The world implodes for seventeen-year-old David and his younger sisters when their father kills their mother. Stuck in a cramped apartment with an aunt he suspects is only interested in the money from his after school construction job, all David wants to do is separate himself from the violence in his past.

Guilt drives him to concentrate on fulfilling his mother’s last wishes for him – that he prepare for college. But he is happier working with his hands under the tutelage of his crew boss than sitting in classrooms that feel like a prison. David deals with homework, and hormones that draw him ever closer to Yolanda, the hottest girl in the “in” crowd. When Yolanda and David finally come together, sparks fly. But she means trouble, because she’s pack leader Malik’s girl. Malik has it out for David, not only as a romantic rival, but also on the basketball court and — most importantly — as a threat to David’s freshman sister.