New York's lower East side swelters in the summer heat. 16-year-old Victor, his pain-in-the-ass sister Vicki and shy little brother Nino are going stir-crazy in their cramped tenement apartment, all under grandma's watchful eye. To ease the heat, Victor frequents a municipal swimming pool, as do Judy and her friends. Cool and self-possessed, Judy is a beautiful mystery fancied by every boy in the neighbourhood. Victor thinks he's in love. He hears that she just ditched her boyfriend and fixes an introduction through her brother. But Judy's looking for something more than a boyfriend. Something she needs but can't name. Something real, something special, she's not going to settle for anything less.