There are families into which we are not born. The Xtravaganzas are one such family: glamorous, humorous, and full of temperament – despite all adversities.

New York, 1980. A subculture that is extremely interesting from today's perspective is forming: the ballroom scene. Young people who want to finally live out their true identities find a new home within it. But the price for this is extremely high.

Angel, a newly minted drag queen, meets Hector, who dreams of becoming a professional dancer. The two fall in love and together they establish the House of Xtravaganza, the first Latino family in the ballroom scene, where kids from the poorest backgrounds find refuge and showcase their extravagant outfits in elaborately staged performances. They are joined by Venus, also a drag queen who dreams of finding a rich man; Juanito, a quiet boy who spends all his time at the sewing machine; and Daniel, who does not identify as either a man or a woman. They are all between 14 and 19, still teenagers escaping their disastrous family situations to create their own little family. The characters, whose inspirations can be seen in the award-winning documentary Paris is Burning, must survive in a world that does not recognize them. They fight with all their might for recognition and, not least, for sheer survival, as a cruel new virus called AIDS is spreading.