This is the story of three boys, their community and a principal who refused to give up on the troubled elementary school that connects them all.

In a low income Ottawa neighbourhood with the largest concentration of immigrants in the city, Pinecrest Elementary has fallen through the cracks. Caught between underfunding and a high need, low income community, Pinecrest's reputation for poor academics and bad behaviour is threatening the school's very existence. But under the inspired leadership of a new principal, the school and its students begin an amazing turnaround.

Photographed in verite style over an entire school year, the film casts a revealing and compassionate light on the challenges facing our growing immigrant communities. The documentary raises important and timely questions about how our public schools are responding to the needs of these communities, and why early efforts are so vital to insuring their children's success.

*Closed Captioned