Racism comes to light at the high school when Alex, a new African-American student, wants to give a report on Dr. Martin Luther King, but his teacher argues that they have already covered that topic in class. When Martin inadvertently supports Alex's case, he falls victim to a hate crime. His car is defaced with racial slurs, and he refuses to wash it off until the culprit is caught. Meanwhile, for her own report, Ruthie attempts to recycle an essay that she wrote three years ago.

Ruthie is having a hard time getting over Martin, who is finally making an effort to be there for Sandy and the baby. Ruthie meets a new friend, Maggie, and they must both sit in detention after school. The teacher in charge at detention, a music teacher called Feinstein, manages to get the students' attention by giving them some new insights on music and its relation to history. He also plays Gershwin songs on the piano, which seem to calm Ruthie's heartache.