Teenage Mia discusses moving to New York to pursue art with her conservative Carribean family. 

Mia forms a bond wih her art teacher, another African American woman. Mia's tecaher invites her to an art opening, and offers her drugs. MIa stays the night at her house.

A strange man on the train follows Mia and asks her to be a surrogatre mother for him and his wife.

Mia struggles to come up with money for art school. Mia agrees to be a surrogte mother to raise $12,000 for school.

Meanwhile, flashabacks of Elena show how struggles to balance her career with being a mother.

Elena is excited to get back to work, but founds out that she is prgenant with her fourth child -- Isabelle.  

Linda, who just had a misscariage, is suprised to learn that Elena is pregnant again.

Elena's husband and mother convince her that having a fourht baby is a good idea. 

Mia finds out the implantation worked and she becomes pregnant.

Her brother comes to see her and is surprised to find her pregnant. He tells her he thinks the bay will be a girl.

Mia's realtionship with her teacher becomes romantic. She looses her virginity to her teacher.

Elena struggles to parent four children. Isabelle is constantly crying and Elena has breakdown, smashing glass plates on the ground. 

Elena leave the house to buy a pacifier, bue ends up going to meet her ex Jamie. 

Mia and Jamie almost have sex, but she ends up crying in the bathroom instead. Elena tells Jamie she needs to leave.

Jamie admits that he still loves Elena, and Elena accuses him of taking advantage of her.

Mia's bother passes away, and she's forced to come home, revealing to her parents that she is pregnant. Mia's parents are ashamed and ask her not to attend her brother's funeral. 

Mia tells Pauline she's going to stay home for a while longer, but decides to run away with the baby in her brother's car.

Mia tries to contact Pauline after she has the baby, but learns that Pauline has passes away from Ovarian Cancer.