When his mother goes out to party one Saturday night and doesn't come back, seven-year-old Ishmael Hood is taken in by his estranged uncle Henry and Henry's live-in boyfriend, Sam. As this unlikely trio begins to build a new life together, they encounter both support and hostility in the small Mississippi town where they live. Seems like just about everybody has an opinion on the matter--and they're not shy about expressing it.
While this blossoming little family finds its feet, outside forces--and ghosts from the past--threaten to tear it apart. Henry, still trying to deal with the tragic death of his parents, finds himself hard-pressed to open his heart to this needy child.
Just as a little shine begins to come back into their lives, Ishmael's mother returns, and their world is thrown into chaos.