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.