Sommy, a Nigerian woman, comes to the United States for graduate school two weeks after her brother, Mezie, attempts suicide. Plagued by the guilt of leaving Mezie behind, Sommy struggles to fit into her new life as a student and immigrant. Lonely and homesick, she soon enters a complicated relationship with her boisterous Nigerian roommate, Bayo, a relationship that plummets into deceit when Sommy falls for Bryan, a biracial American whose estranged Nigerian father left America immediately after Bryan's birth. Bonded by their feelings of unbelonging and a vague sense of kinship, Sommy and Bryan transcend the challenges of their new relationship.

During summer break Sommy and Bryan visit the bustling city of Lagos, Nigeria, where Sommy hopes to reconcile with Mezie, and Bryan plans to connect with his father. But then a shocking and unexpected event exposes the cracks in Sommy's relationships and forces her to confront her notions of self and familial love.