Side Effects of a Butterfly

No one knows what it's like to live in your shoes - or anyone else's. Saorise is a strong-willed young woman growing up in the south side of Chicago. Nestled safely in her predominately Irish neighborhood - she's never had to worry much about what goes on in the surrounding areas of her city. Gabriel is working his way up the ranks of a notorious hispanic street gang as a means of protection and income for his mother and sisters. After years of running the street as a king, he begins to question his actions. Brandon just wants to succeed in school, but it has proven dangerous in the face of a gang war in his area and close relatives pressuring him into a deadly lifestyle. How will their lives connect and what does it all mean? Exploring the brutal truths and understanding first-hand of what it means it be a youth growing up in one of the most violent cities. Is there room for love in a place of such hopelessness? How do you survive when the world around you is so volatile? How easy is it to complete metamorphosis, sprout wings and fly away from your sins and other's? These are the side effects of a butterfly.