- After a string of crushing personal and professional humiliations, Jack Lee accepts that at age 39 he is a failure. Worst of all, he's let down his selfless immigrant parents. To get back on track, Jack reaches out to others: an almost famous guru, a respected arts administrator, and two fellow computer programmers, all of whom have problems of their own.
- 12-year-old Juana goes to a British school in Buenos Aires, where she fails both socially and academically. Surrounded by the same routine, going to class and trying to pull her social life back together, Juana goes through the strange days one week before the exams that will determine her future.