Jim McKay (Girls Town, 1996) ventures into the inner-city world of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and the lives of three teens from different ethnic backgrounds. Close friends Lanisha, Maria, and Joycelyn are at crucial turning points in their lives. As they struggle against difficult home environments, school bureaucracy, and socioeconomic status, their emotional vulnerability is belied by their tough exteriors. But the adversity they face is countered by the positive energy generated by the marching band they belong to and rehearse with each day. Played by Brooklyn's Jackie Robinson Steppers, the band's kinetic high-stepping, drum-beating, horn-blowing rhythms are not only a source of community, but are a dynamic embodiment of the hopeful spirit within each of these young women.