Eric Butler, a Hurricane Katrina survivor and pioneer of the restorative justice movement, relocates to Oakland, California, to counsel vulnerable Black and Latino teenagers. The film follows Butler's impassioned efforts to nurture troubled youth and keep them in school, fighting racial discrimination, but when his own teenage son is arrested and beaten in jail, he begins to question his methods and ability—not just as a teacher, but also as a father. With incredible access, Circles is an inspirational portrait of a father desperate to provide his son with the leadership and compassion he never received from his own.