Looking for a brighter future in metropolitan Manila, Oscar Ramirez and his family leave their miserable life in the rice terraces of Banaue, in the northern Philippines. In the sweltering capital, where all kind of perils lurk in every corner, Oscar catches a lucky break when he is offered a steady work for an armored truck company and the senior officer Ong takes him under his wing.

Macky Galvez is a depressed young man contemplating why he had several failed relationships. Galvez meets Ces Bricenio, a modern-day woman who is afraid of commitment.

Erwin Romulo, the late Alexis Tioseco’s best friend, recalls the events after the critic and his girlfriend Nika Bohinc’s untimely death in their home in Quezon City. Diaz makes use of one long take to allow Romulo an uninterrupted narration of the events. The pain of recalling is palpable.

Popoy and Basha had been together forever. Their love story began when they first met as students at university. They had been inseparable and did everything together—eating, studying and attending parties. However, Popoy's incessant planning and nagging took a toll on their relationship leading Basha to break-up with him.

Sandy and Dale, both Overseas Workers in Dubai, are busy preparing for their wedding. Upon reaching her home, Sandy learns from her mother, Daisy, what happened to her friend, Helen. A short time after Helen's father died, Helen proceeded with her wedding. A few weeks after the wedding, Helen's husband dies in a plane crash. As Helen goes to the crash site, she dies in a bus accident. A few weeks later, Helen's mother suddenly disappears inside her house. Their bodies have never been recovered. Sandy proceeds with her own wedding. During the ceremony, she suffers from nosebleed and starts seeing glimpses of a ghostly flower girl.

Maxi, a boy on the cusp of his teens, is already comfortable with his homosexual feelings, with acceptance from his family. When Maxi is assaulted one evening, Victor, a police officer, comes to his aid. Maxi soon develops a crush on Victor, who shows a platonic affection for the young lad.

Two brothers migrate to a city to escape the violence in their village, but the city's leader has other plans in mind for them.