Paul is a high school student in Camden, New Jersey, who is struggling to find answers about the heroin-related death of his older brother, Cornel. Cornel was a highly intelligent teenager who had received a fully paid scholarship to a private high school in a neighboring town. Although Cornel and Paul resided in one of the most violent and drug-infested neighborhoods in the city, they tried their best to avoid the evil seductions of street life. It is now the one year anniversary of Cornel's death, and the devastating effects upon Paul's family have become more evident. As Paul continues to search for clues about the death of his brother, Cornel, he also becomes frustrated with the domestic abuse his girlfriend, Serita, and her family are experiencing. Through Paul's journey, he discovers that the effects of the heroin epidemic are more widespread than he could ever have imagined.