Lula and Jeff end up getting an apartment the summer after high school graduation and working in the restaurant below. The owner is a saucy Latina with a flair for Celia Cruz and Cuban cuisine. The other apartment dwellers are a collection of stock "wacky" types, e.g., an old coot, a flashy black girl, erudite gays, etc. The story follows Lula as she finds love and becomes the songwriter for a band.