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.