In 1944, Ella lives in a segregated South Carolina town with her grandparents. Constantly teased for her "white" appearance, she spends most of her days with her best friend and cousin. Her mother, a jazz singer in Boston, invites Ella to join her at Christmas. While there, she is shocked to learn some of her mother's secrets, especially regarding the father Ella has never known. When she returns to South Carolina, she discovers that a schoolmate has been charged with the murder of two young white girls.