Mark is a wannabe actor, penniless, clueless, and inept. He cares for a brother who's paraplegic, and he has a girlfriend, Sally, who wants out of the relationship. His idea of life is to go to the occasional audition, dodge his landlord (having spent the rent money Sally gave him), give Sally a hang-dog look, and talk with Pearce, who lives upstairs. Mark's flat is in disrepair: the kitchen window slams shut, bits of plaster fall from the ceiling, a bulb fizzes, and the sitting-room chandelier sways. When an awful accident happens, Mark freezes, which precipitates additional accidents; he finally calls Pearce, perhaps the worst decision possible. Will Mark come to his senses?

Sally Bender is the wife of a Captain in the United States Marine Corps. He is sent over to Vietnam, and Sally is alone. With nothing else to do, she decides to volunteer at a local veteran's hospital, where she meets Luke, who went to high school with Sally. Luke was wounded and is paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. When Sally begins to fall in love with Luke, she has to make a crucial decision about her life.

Summer 2009. Five paraplegics and a young able-bodied teenager light up the stage in front of an entranced audience of 8000 people. "Benda Bilili" - in English "See Beyond", is the name of this Kinshasa band which has acquired a global following. Chances of success were slim at first for these homeless handicapped artists who struggled to survive on the streets of their dilapidated capital. "Benda Bilili" is not a music film, it's the story of a dream that became reality. And a plunge into the streets of Kinshasa without a safety net.