Over the course of one day, the challenges of life in post-Katrina New Orleans threaten to crush Perrine Vernier-- underprivileged single mother and college student-- and cloud her hopes for a better life for her young son, Emile. This small family's struggle parallels the plight of the city itself: Individually surmountable obstacles accumulate, gaining momentum and pushing Perrine to the edge, but like the community in which she lives, she gains strength from those around her-- her son, her partner, and others-- retaining hope and the will to fight another day.