A fine-boned Japanese boy of thirteen, Ritsu is shy and polite. At Caracas' music school , he discovers a new world full of laughter, exuberant emotion and musical collaboration. A talented viola player, Ritsu Suzuki is the son of a Japanese architect, who recently moved to Venezuela to tear down and redevelop el barrio. Encouraged by Nestor, his mischievous neighbor, Ritsu will join the “down and out conservatory” (as his father puts it) where his friendship with the four other young musicians in the quintet will change his life. Sadly, as he's beginning this new adventure, Ritsu will be struck with a disease that will threaten his return to Tokyo for the annual International Conservatories Competition.
A gifted violinist, Viviana knows that her passion for classical music could be her ticket out of poverty and the shanty town she lives in. But when you're only fourteen, believing in yourself isn't always easy. Although she practices no less than six hours a day, music was just a game for Viv until the Tokyo Music Competition inspired her to reach higher. Warm-hearted and resourceful, Viviana Montoya lives with her mom and three sisters in a one-room shack in Caracas' struggling barrio.
A trumpeter of extraordinary promise, Danilo is not arrogant about his obvious gifts. His easy-going attitude about everything masks the fact that his life is far from easy. Half black, half Latino, Danilo Soto is the poorest of the quintet. Like Viv, he lives in the sprawling shanty town over-looking Caracas. Danilo has little interest in school, and does not yet realize that his music can empower him to break the cycle of poverty. For now, this fourteen-year-old is using his talents to support his family, aspiring only to be a street vendor – a world away from Tokyo and the annual youth orchestra competition.
Wiser and more clear-headed than the other members of the quintet, Lila is a bit of a philosopher, pondering and analyzing every situation. Lila Mirabal is the daughter of a powerful colonel, who long ago regretfully gave up a career as a clarinetist. Her mother is a beautiful, but aloof French woman, whose only passion is reading. A melancholy loner, Lila is a talented oboist, who will find in her quintet a second family. She will discover the joy of making music as a group. And perhaps most importantly, she will realize that even when you're only thirteen, you can laugh and live with passion.
As his trendy look makes clear, Nestor is not your average twelve-year-old. He's remarkably tall, just like his father, a wealthy Chinese businessman who's nearly always away. A self-taught percussionist, Nestor Yuenquin is fascinated by all types of drums, and even builds his own. Despite the fact that he can't stand music theory, Nestor finds Caracas' preeminent conservatory irresistible because of its huge supply of percussion instruments, its open curriculum and the chance to meet friends every bit as gifted as he. When he forms a quintet with his new friends, this frank yet generous boy will discover a style all his own.
