Four days after Hurricane Katrina rips through the gulf coast; Willie Jenkins, a storm survivor, seeks refuge at the summer home of his cousin, Ty, in East Hampton, New York. Having grown up together in The Desire, a drug and crime ridden housing project now buried beneath ten feet of water in New Orleans' ninth ward, the two men's lives have taken drastically different paths. Ty is a confident professional with all the trappings of success, while Willie's life resembles the bleak world of his childhood. Despite these differences, Ty reluctantly takes Willie into his home.

Social classes collide as Willie is introduced into this new world; one of privilege and wealth. His honesty and candor are refreshing to those he encounters, but prove troubling and embarrassing for Ty. As we watch the two reminisce about old times their bond is obvious, yet each is openly suspicious of the other. Ty questions Willie's motives in seeking his help; Willie accuses Ty of being ashamed of his roots.

The relationship is tested further when Willie unwittingly engages Ty's boss in a verbal sparring match, which infuriates Ty. With their relationship on the brink of collapse, they are forced to confront their mutual distrust.

As layers are stripped away from the two characters, we discover neither man to be what we envisioned. Ty is revealed to be a lost soul struggling to escape a past he fears will forever define him; Willie emerges as a man of principle seeking only forgiveness for his past sins. But when each man is threatened with losing everything, the cousins' love for each other lights a path to redemption for both.