Emotionally scarred in the aftermath of the family breakup, fourteen-year-old Davida Kincaid devises a plan to escape her impoverished living conditions in the outskirts of Columbia, South Carolina. The eighth out of eighteen children but the eldest at home maintains hope that her family will get back together. But if not, she vows to help single parent Mama change their economic status. Weekly visits to collect food money from Daddy expose her to undesirable people, places and practices until she experiences the unthinkable. Then she develops a new attitude about life, love, and family. Influenced by high school teachers, she sets out to prove that poor people have received an equal dose of intelligence and deserve fair treatment. But will racial discrimination, poverty, and low self-esteem hinder her progress?