army lieutenant margaret peters goes missing during a rescue mission in japan. back in detroit, her son nathan had difficulty accepting the shocking news. to make matters worse, he discovers that his father george isn't his biological father. due to this and his mother's long absence, child care services came knocking at their door. afraid of being taken away, nathan splits before his father can explain. while george goes looking for him, nathan takes to the streets of detroit. there, he encounters captain miles, a homeless iraqi war veteran. it was at first unclear what captain miles' intention is with nathan, but the veteran ultimately tricks him into seeking shelter at the home of evelyn strasser. this wealthy philanthropist founds out that her daughter jessee has been hiding nathan in the basement. evelyn reunites nathan with george, but not before discovering that nathan is musically gifted.