Sensitive 16-year-old Mari is brought back to the orphanage after running away. Life there is full of power struggles between the kids, both physical and emotional. Everyone strives to find their place in the hierarchy, and that requires a toughness that Mari does not possess. The atmosphere is oppressive, but within it friendships and alliances are formed that give her the strength to carry on. While on the run, she met someone who, despite her conflicting feelings, also became important to her. But the adult world seems cold and indifferent, and no one seems to take responsibility for the future of young people.