The aging matriarch of an inner-city convent struggles against the rising tide of drugs, poverty, and violence in her parish. The desolation initially drives her and her flock apart, but from an unaccountable tragedy arises a miracle that unites them in wonder.

An embittered teacher takes an inner-city Black boy under her wing and discovers his immense academic and personal gifts. But even as he begins to escape the drugs that have defined his upbringing, dealing threatens to tear his loved ones away forever.