Maxi (Nathan Lopez) lives with his widowed father Mang Paco (Soliman Cruz) and two older brothers in a Manila slum. They sell stolen cell phones and are part of a gambling operation. Maxi has a special function in his household; he is a surrogate mother who cooks, cleans, sews ,and takes care of his father and brothers. In return, they do not shame or humiliate him about his cross-dressing habits or his predilection for men. But on the street, he is assaulted by some vicious boys and rescued by Victor (JR Valentin), a rookie cop who takes his work very seriously. Maxi latches on to him in a big way, leaving behind his playtime beauty contests with several girls in the area. Then his brother Bogs (Ping Medina) kills a student in a messed-up robbery, and Victor is assigned to the case.

Auraeus Solito directs this Filipino film which explores the tensions that arise when Maxi must figure out whether his chief loyalty lies with his family or with Victor. In this drama, family counts for everything, and blood is more important than anything else in the world. Ethics plays a big role in The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros as Maxi learns that even those who profess to be religious and lovers of law and order are capable of denying these commitments and capitulating to the enticements of power and money.