 One day. One night. A group of teenagers struggles to find their way in a world that offers them few choices. In 24 hours, Mike will leave for the army, following in his father s footsteps. His last day around family and friends turns into a war of emotions. His girlfriend Valerie, angry at him for leaving, rejects him. As he grapples with her decision, his friends are making their own bids for a better life. Phil, a smalltime drug dealer, is working for the big score that will set him up for good. Terry is trying to enter a corporate world she s unprepared for, but already understands the corruption the system asks for. Steve wants to free himself from his abusive father, decides to kill him and tries to get a gun. As the story unfolds, frustration erupts in a night of shattering violence, self-destruction and self-discovery. A closely photographed, metaphorical kaleidoscope of characters on the brink of growing up, facing the need to build a future, facing the past. A conflict of generations, lost dreams and shattered lives. A search for love, acknowledgment, acceptance, a future. THE HOUSE IS BURNING is at once a warning and a promise.