Corazon Tagubio is an outcast at her Catholic school. She's attending on scholarship, she keeps to herself, and her crush on her teacher Ms. Holden doesn't help anything. Cory's less-than-perfect grades disappoint her mom and dad, who are already working overtime to support her distant half brother in the Philippines. When an accident leaves her dad comatose, Cory feels like Ms. Holden is the only person who really sees her. After Cory's mother catches them kissing, she is sent to live with her half brother. Once there Cory begins to discover how the country that shaped her past might also change her future.