Set in Colorado, the story takes place in 1985 during the rise of the AIDS panic.
McClain Evans is a gay high school student, constantly the target of bullying in his town.
Karen O'Neil is a woman haunted by the death of her pro-boxer fiancé, Mark Corey.
After a five-year absence, she returns to her family, who runs a successful martial arts school.
When McClain is attacked by three local teens, his mother, Annie, asks Karen to teach her son martial arts so that he can defend himself.