Synopsis: Linda, a 16 year old girl in 1952, lives in South San Francisco. She wakes early one morning from a very strange dream. She is startled awake, she goes down stairs to get some water think about her dream. She goes outside to get some air and observes a wildflower growing through the floorboards of the porch. Her brother Miguel enters the backyard with a satchel in his hand returning home after running away. Elena comes outside, happy to see Miguel. The commotion causes Antonio to come outside too. He tells Miguel to go to his room. As Antonio heads to the stairs we see him take off his ring. Antonio closes the door and sounds of Miguel’s beating can be heard in the house. Later that morning Linda’s aunt, Theresa, comes to visit. She overhears that she is going to visit family in Texas. Linda asks if she can go and is willing to help. Maria, Linda’s mom enters the room and tells her she can’t leave because she needs help around the house, “but now you must go to school.” Maria sends Linda to school. While walking on her way home she runs into a classmate, Tim. Tim likes Linda and asks to borrow her book because he lost his. She lets him and he walks her home from school. When she arrives home there is a dark, cold, stillness It appears the coast is clear to go talk to her brother Miguel without getting caught. She heads upstairs but upon arriving at the bedroom door of her brother, she pauses. It’s not easy to see a loved one bruised up. Following her instinct ,she goes outside where it is bright and warm. She takes off her sweater and enjoys a moment of peace when she notices her brother watching her. She goes to his door and softly knocks. He answers and they talk about why he came back. The conversation ends with a warning to his sister. Later that night while studying a map from California to Texas, Linda’s little sister Rachel asks for a glass of water. She goes down stairs to get it and discovers her dad working on a “project” at the dinner table under the dim light of a banker’s lamp. He is marking face cards so he can feel a little bump when he is dealing cards. After she gets the glass of water he ask her to sit down and begins to deal a hand of 5 card poker. As they play Linda summons the courage to ask him, “You know dad, if you mark the cards, they are never the same.” This causes him to pause, then respond, “That’s how I learned.” Indicating the cycle of abuse and how it goes from generation to generation. The cards are turned and Antonio sets her up to win. She thanks him for the win and heads back to bed with the glass of water. The next day, Linda is doing her homework on the dining room table but is distracted by her thoughts. Maria asks her to clean up her work because it is time for dinner. She starts to put things away then goes to her mother to try to get her to help in the violence in the home. Maria does not respond to Linda’s plea for help leaving Linda frustrated and alone. Later that night, Tim comes to the house to return a book he borrowed. Linda is surprised to see him since she had asked him to give it to her back at school. Tim asks her to come outside, which she does reluctantly. While outside Tim confesses he has a crush on Linda and would like to see her more. At that moment, Antonio comes up the steps, tells Linda to go inside and orders Tim to go home. Linda rushes upstairs scared of the implications of getting caught talking to a boy. She wakes her sister Rachel, and tells her to go to her brother’s room. Linda watches her rush down the hall. Her dad comes up the stairs and his imposing shadow covers her face. The next morning, Linda wakes sore and bruised. She sits up in bed and feels the cuts and bruises on her face. She wants to see how bad the swelling is and gets up to look in the mirror. When she sees the damage she is overwhelmed with fear and betrayal. The crying gets the attention of her Maria and she rushes in to the bedroom to see Linda battered and bruised. She leaves the room and closes the door. In the hall is a phone, she picks it up and makes a phone call. A little while later, Linda comes down with a suitcase packed and dressed in clean clothes. She over hears her parents arguing quietly in the kitchen. Antonio is fuming. He rushes toward to door to stop Linda from leaving when Maria steps in his way to stop her. Antonio tries to go around her and Maria moves there too. Finally Antonio grabs her to hit her and Maria’s ability to stay there standing gives him pause. Maria finally tells him, “No one needs to know.” This breaks Antonio and causes him to step away. At that moment there is a knock on the door and Maria takes that opportunity to step away. As soon as Maria steps out the door she nearly runs into Linda who has been listening the whole time. There is another knock. Maria goes to the door leaving Linda at the door to the kitchen and ultimately her father. She is trying to decide if she should say goodbye to her father. She decides to just leave and heads to the door. Theresa and Maria are standing at the door, Maria realizes this will be the last time she sees Linda and breaks from her normal, distant behavior and pulls her daughter in and tells Linda she loves her as she hugs her tightly. Linda walks out the door. Montage of Linda in a convertible classic car as she feels the warmth of the bright sun. Her hand rises in the wind flowing past the car. The feeling of the breeze through her fingers gives her a sense of freedom.