In Gloucester, Massachusetts, Ruby Rossi is the only hearing member of her family: her parents Frank and Jackie and older brother Leo are all culturally deaf. She assists with the family fishing business and plans to join it full-time after finishing high school. Ruby auditions for the school choir, run by Bernardo Villalobos (or Mr.V), but when she is called upon to sing, she panics and runs away. She later returns to Mr.V and explains that she was bullied for talking funny as a child. Mr.V accepts Ruby into the choir after hearing her beautiful voice and encourages her to be more confident.
