Seven-year-old Billy is the son of a dysfunctional lower middle class family. His father is a verbally abusive alcoholic who seldom has time for his son. His mother is protective and nurturing towards Billy but resentful towards his father. Financially dependent on her husband, she feels trapped in the marriage, and has little patience for him. Despite her own anger towards her husband, she continues to try to develop a relationship between the father and son. Young Billy yearns for his father’s love and affection, which he seldom receives. Instead, Billy is often the victim of his alcoholic rage. Family for the young boy ends with his mother, who provides a safe-haven from his Father’s outbursts. When Billy’s father begrudgingly takes him out for the day, things go terribly wrong. What was supposed to be a day trip to the carnival turns into an afternoon spent with his fathers’ friends drinking and firing off rounds in the desert. Hours of exposure to the sun and the sound of gunshots take its toll on the young boy. The next morning when his mother wakes him, she discovers that Billy’s hearing has been badly and permanently damaged. His family is forced to confront the reality of his injury, which pushes his parents’ already fragile marriage to a near breaking point. In what could be the most difficult time in the young boy’s life, Billy learns that his disability can also be an unexpected, yet liberating gift.