Mid-teen Ayoub and his half-sister Demi, of who he is protective, live with their lonely, divorced mother, Saskia, in the projects of Amsterdam. Although he loves both his parents, he doesn't want Demi to turn out like their mother, or he like his junkie father, Mo. Ayoub spends much of his time just hanging out with his neighborhood friends, participating in typical teenager hi-jinx, such as blowing up garbage containers. However, he is also beginning to notice girls, the object of his affection being Laura, who also lives in the projects. Laura has no time for Ayoub, and he in turn finds out the hard way that she is the girlfriend of Ronnie, one of the older neighborhood thugs, and brother of his friend Franky. Regardless, Ayoub wants to impress Laura, he believing to do so by becoming what he thinks she likes: a tough guy. Ayoub senses an opportunity to make that transformation when he starts doing odd jobs for Kalpa, a local criminal. Kalpa is eccentric, volatile, violent and ...