Tavares is torn between love and loyalty when it comes to Damien, her long-term boyfriend who took her in when she had nothing and no one, and Abdora, the super-fine, Jersey-born romantic gangsta who shows her that love doesn't hurt-it heals. Though Tavares has been with Damien for years, when Abdora shows up on the scene, for the first time treating her like she actually deserves to be treated, she starts to wonder what it would be like to choose love over loyalty, to be with Abdora instead of Damien. But the debate finally ends, the decision made for her, when Damien betrays Tavares beyond redemption with another girl. Tavares struggles to juggle her street life and academics, determined not to let the street control her fate. As she grows into womanhood she notices the envy, selfishness, and greed surrounding her, and decides it's time to close the old chapters of her life and move on to make her mark in the world, to leave her old life behind. She goes to college upon graduating, moving to New Jersey for a fresh start. With Abdora by her side, Tavares is on the path to becoming the woman she's destined to be: educated and independent, strong and proud and happy. But just when she's suddenly, unexpectedly confronted by an unpleasant part of her past, her best friend betrays her in the worst way. People she never wanted nor expected to see again resurface, pushing Tavares to her breaking point, and changing everything she knows about who she is and where she comes from. She's once again thrown into a fierce battle between love and loyalty, fighting to keep the streets from sealing her fate, to avoid the dangerous relationships and people that will bring her down. But this time, it might be too late for her to escape.