Although academically brilliant, and ambitious to bestow the virtues of a solid education to all, she is no match for the bullying fifteen-year-olds who Amani thinks are wasting their schooling. Isolated and alone, and keen to prove to her widowed father Charin that she can cope, the stress of the situation very quickly takes its toll. School mentor Hugh tries to offer a friendly ear on secret ciggie breaks, but Amani is determined that she cope. But as she styles her beautiful hair one evening, a handful falls out - then another and another and another... As the devastating effects of alopecia kick in, Amani's life spirals out of control. When she is cruelly caught off guard in another tough class, to stop the pupils laughing at her she foolishly blurts out that she has cancer.