Cultural tension between gangs in an inner city high school reaches boiling point when a member of the Asian gang—Bing Ling is killed. Phong Ling (Tai Nguyen)—Bing's brother, fighting the grief he feels at his brother's death, becomes increasingly violent. With Maxine's help, Bill realises the heart of Phong's problem lies in the relationship he has with his father. Phong is angered by his father's pragmatic approach to migrating to Australia which Phong believes has been to the detriment of his own cultural identity and family pride. Maxine is also having difficulties with her own daughter Simone (Abbie Cornish) who attends Bing's school. While trying to uncover who was responsible for Bing's death, Simone's Maths teacher Aiden (Vince Poletto) becomes a suspect. Simone knows that Aiden wasn't responsible, but the only way she can clear his name is to say how she knows he couldn't have been there… which means revealing the affair she is having with her teacher to the police. When Maxine discovers the truth, she has to come to terms with her daughter's growing sexual maturity and independence.