Niko is a Vietnamese immigrant with dreams of becoming a singer, but his abusive parents and poor living situation has made things not great for him

One night after his parents beat him far harder than normal, he decides he has had enough and leaves for school with no intention of going back. If all he can eat is school lunch, he doesn't see that as a setback; he's used to starving all the time. He manages to go a few weeks without being noticed and he gets a new rhythm in place. One night, he is woken up by a noise that came somewhere within the school. He stretches and yawns, adjusting the hoodie he is wearing and wiping some dirt off his jeans as he wanders out of the classroom and into the hallway, looking in both directions of the corridor while wondering if he should try to find the noise or go back into hiding