Sandile Malindi refuses to join student strikes that convulse apartheid South Africa. A proud son of Soweto merchants, he is determined to continue his education. Peter Seibert, a white American new to Johannesburg, inadvertently offends Sandile when they meet at their private high school but earns his trust on the sports field. Kagiso Mafolo, a Soweto student organizer, visits her aunt, a maid at the Seiberts' home. She charms Peter but clashes with Sandile over his absence from the freedom struggle. Working through conflicts over race, wealth and ideology, the three build friendships, discover love, confront danger and help each other survive in tumultuous times.