Kristal, a homeless teenager, arrives in a strange city, where she encounters Donna, a program assistant at a homeless center. Donna encourages Kristal to be her friend, and the two begin a tentative relationship. Kristal turns to her friend when she becomes ill and Donna takes her to a clinic, where they discover that the teenager has gonorrhea. Donna brings Kristal to the hospital and over time, the two young women become closer. With Donna's help, Kristal is placed in a foster home. When Donna invites Kristal to the homeless center for a Christmas celebration, she learns that the teenager is pregnant, and Kristal asks Donna to be her "auntie."
Kristal is placed in a home for pregnant teenagers, but she regularly runs away to be with her homeless friends on the street. Donna then discovers that Kristal is being physically abused by her boyfriend and urges Kristal to become more independent. Badly beaten by the father of her child, Kristal ends in the hospital, but through a series of contacts, the two young women become closer and closer. Donna becomes optimistic that Kristal is getting her act together until two detectives show up at the homeless center and Donna learns the sad news about her young friend.