A homebody much more inclined to write about the rough realities of her North Philadelphia neighborhood than to participate in them, Shalisa finds herself struggling to overcome the mounting obstacles that stand between her and college. While helping to raise her three younger sisters, she is faced with the prospect of having a child of her own. Barely engaged in her high school classrooms, Shalisa is running out of time to pass her classes and earn the high school diploma that her mother never received. As she shares her remarkable insights on life as a young African-American woman, Shalisa must find a way to balance the competing pressures of preparing for her future and helping to hold together the family that she loves.

Accepted early into a dual enrollment program at Community College, Macho seems well on his way towards establishing a comfortable life and a stable career for himself. He's smart, focused, and surrounded by a mother who encourages him, a grandmother who pampers him, and an older sister in college who pushes him to explore life outside of his "ghetto fabulous" North Philadelphia neighborhood. As the pressures of daily life mount, however, Macho feels increasingly cut off from the familiar comforts of his community, his neighborhood high school, and the people who can intuitively relate to his experiences and struggles. Pushed by the desire to take advantage of new opportunities while still being pulled by the familiarity of home, Macho must decide if he's ready to plunge into a new world beyond the boundaries that he's always known.

Steve has been the center of every room he has ever walked into—except for those shared by his family members, all of whom are at least as hilarious, intelligent, and charismatic as he is. Steve is an all-Public League center for the football team, an accomplished cook with aspirations to culinary school, and just about everyone's best friend. Having discovered early on that he can skate by on personality and charm, Steve seems content with mediocrity in the classroom and with a world that always seems to revolve around him. As he struggles to complete high school and define his aspirations, however, Steve and the legions of family members, friends, and teachers who love him seek to find the spark that will motivate him to strive for the great things everyone sees in his future.

Having survived dramatic spinal surgery as a child, Malikka is determined to enter the medical field as a midwife or neonatal nurse. Her determination—and the support of her mother, her sisters, and a network of strong Muslim women who form the backbone of her community—carry her to an elite all-girls high school. As Malikka sheds her shyness and expands her interests beyond school, she must stay focused in order to handle the rigorous academic path she has laid out for herself. Struggling to balance school, work, and family, Malikka hopes to earn a scholarship that will help to ease the financial burden her mother must face as she tries to put three girls through college.

A homebody much more inclined to write about the rough realities of her North Philadelphia neighborhood than to participate in them, Shalisa finds herself struggling to overcome the mounting obstacles that stand between her and college. While helping to raise her three younger sisters, she is faced with the prospect of having a child of her own. Barely engaged in her high school classrooms, Shalisa is running out of time to pass her classes and earn the high school diploma that her mother never received. As she shares her remarkable insights on life as a young African-American woman, Shalisa must find a way to balance the competing pressures of preparing for her future and helping to hold together the family that she loves.