A bodega in the multi-racial neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen is the backdrop for this story about the troubled relationship between an Egyptian immigrant father, Farid, who runs the bodega, and Jamal, his first-generation American son. At the center of their conflict are Farid's efforts to thwart his son's blossoming music career and put him in charge of the store. Jamal, meanwhile, wants no part of the bodega, which he feels is a stagnant operation. Flashbacks enhance the development of the film's protagonists, who make amends only after tragedy strikes.