For her class, 16-year-old Cristina is assigned 40 hours of service at a charitable organization. She selects a soup kitchen, André Center, thinking she can butter some bread, chop some vegetables, hide in the kitchen and get this over with. Rose, the veteran coordinator of André Center, insists that if Cristina is going to serve there, she must interact with the guests. Cristina begins her assignment awkwardly but eventually befriends other volunteers and guests, including another teenager, Kat, a charismatic volunteer. Kat and Cristina become quick friends … even as Kat relapses into dangerous habits.