Kiril is a second-generation Russian immigrant who lives with his mother in Michigan. He signs up to take intermediate German classes at the local community center. There, he meets a small group of other adult students. The one that captivates him most is a Latino man named Alejandro, who has wonderful grammar but a strong accent. Kiril and Alejandro pair up occasionally and they speak; Kiril greatly enjoys this and is disheartened when Alejandro starts to miss class. Regardless, the other students continue sharing, as best they can, about their home lives, their dream vacations, their perfect weekend. On the last day of class, Alejandro comes back in. He’s agitated that his goal was to make friends in the class, but he wasn’t able to do so because there was so much he couldn’t say. Another student demands his money back. The teacher leads them to the piano and says, if he couldn’t give them what he wanted, he can give them this. He plays a beautiful, sad song and they all listen as the rain falls.