Carmen, a popular junior at Cesar Chavez High School, is excited when Paul Morales, an older boy, pays attention to her and asks her out, but her family is worried that Paul might be in a gang and could be dangerous for Carmen.
Ernesto believes he recognizes a suspect fleeing the scene of a recent robbery which is one of a string that have shaken the barrio but he is not completely sure.
Naomi, saving up to buy her dream car, is thrilled when she lands a job at a local frozen yogurt shop and almost immediately gets a raise, but it is not long before the shop owner's constant staring begins to make her feel uneasy, and her discomfort is heightened by her ex-boyfriend's continued efforts to win her back.
Ernesto and the other students at Chavez High are looking forward to graduation and starting out in the real world, but many of them, including Ernesto, fear they will wind up stuck in dead-end jobs, trapped in their poor city with no hope for a better life.
