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While Tess and Monica
work at an inner-city coffee shop, they see their next assignment, a
group of homeless teenagers who have given up their real names to
avoid being returned to the families that they no longer trust.
"Doc," "Lightning," "China," and the
missing "Fish" have formed a family and soon take in a young
girl who is new to the street, changing her real name from Alexandra
to "Ally." Losing their current shelter and trusting no one,
the kids go to a junkyard where the angel, Rafael, offers to let them
build a shelter in exchange for watching over the place. When all the
collective money of the group is gone, China takes to the streets to
earn money as a prostitute. As she gets into a car, the missing
"Fish" is dying in the care of Andrew. Afterward, Monica and
Andrew begin to lose heart while Tess and Rafael urge them to be
patient and "not push so hard." China continues to dream of
being a poet, writing in her treasured journal while Doc's cough
worsens. Ally burns her remaining pictures from home and begins to
panhandle as Lightning begins to develop a drug problem. After China
loses her journal, Monica finds it and returns it to her on the
street, convincing her to meet her at the coffee shop. Monica waits
for China but she never arrives. The following day, Doc collapses in
Tess' coffee shop. China is then found by Andrew, dying from a beating
by one of her customers. Monica blames herself for not being a better
angel, holding China's journal. Rafael reveals himself to Doc, asking
him to trust in God. No longer succeeding with her panhandling, Ally
puts on makeup and attempts to follow in China's footsteps. Monica
tells her that China is dead and shows her the first entry of China's
journal in which she said she could never prostitute herself and
explains to her that "it's never too late to apologize," but
rather "just in time." As Ally prepares to leave on her bus
ride home, Doc stops by for a brief "goodbye" as he and
Rafael leave for the hospital. Lightning is dumbfounded that Ally is
leaving but she prepares him for the revelation he is about to have in
the presence of the Tess, Monica, and Andrew. "Do you believe in
God, Lightning? You will."
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