Abbie is a teacher who is deeply uncomfortable with the way she looks and acts, but this does not bother her until she steps out of her normal routine and tackles a class of surly teenagers that are not as understanding and well-behaved as the younger children she normally teaches. A boy, Juan, comes up to her at the end of her class and apologizes for the behavior of his classmates.

She is struck by his kindness and youthful beauty; as she leaves for the day, she sees Juan's classmates bullying him ruthlessly for being a teacher's pet. Overcome with guilt and sympathy, Abbie invites him to her house and tends to the small wound on his face. He tells her his story about how his mother's countless boyfriends have forced him to grow up well before his time.

Abbie is completely taken in by this boy and his story. She begins to obsess over him, seeing him in dreams, thinking about him when he is not there. In his mind, he is a confusing mix of pet, child, and lover. When she has almost given up hope, he shows up at her doorstep again, crying unashamedly about how his mother wants him to drop out of school and work in a factory. He says that she is jealous that he might make it in the entertainment industry where she failed, and Abbie consoles him. They decide to go out and eat; she dresses up for the occasion, and he chooses where they go. Juan orders expensive wine, and Abbie is too impressed and intimidated to stop him.

Eventually the woman who is performing onstage at the restaurant comes up to them. Juan introduces her as his aunt, but she laughs and reveals that she is his mother. As they converse, Abbie realizes that Juan's stories about his mother were all fictitious; she does not want him to drop out of school and is actually quite supportive of his dreams. Both mother and son tell Abbie that the other is a born storyteller who tends to tell white lies. Abbie feels sick, wanting to leave. Juan walks her home, and she closes the doors and cries in the unashamed way that he had done earlier in the evening.