As a blighted neighborhood is invaded by a university -- an institution that promises to bring new life -- the people who live there are forced to go along with too many changes, too fast. There is Anna, a woman living through a succession of losses -- marriage, job, home, and lover. And Rowley, a blue-eyed soul singer whose greatest limitation is his belief that he is powerless. Together with Leon, an underground filmmaker, and Caroline, a beautiful woman with a dark and desperate secret, they watch the progress of the wrecking ball, hoping, as always, for something better . . . maybe even love.