New York City is an exciting place, even for motherless Marisol. A spirited 10-year-old, she loves dance, especially the dances of her Papi's native Puerto Rico. Movement and music allow her to forget the small apartment, the street with its drugs and poverty, and her worries about her older brother Luis. When Marisol is offered a scholarship to ballet school, her world opens up. Along with Desiree, a recent Haitian immigrant, she finds a new love, but fears the loss of her brother to Tito, the drug dealer. Getting the money for dance clothes is one problem, but even more pressing is finding an adult to take her safely uptown to afternoon classes. With the support of her Puerto Rican father and brother and showing real determination, Marisol manages to knock down each hurdle. Struggling for perfection, Marisol learns discipline, gains self-confidence and recognizes how others (including her "cool and controlled" brother and the "rich" girls in her dance class) experience hardships equal to her own.

Marisol loves ballet.