17-year-old Sweetness O'Hara, the daughter of mixed race parents, is struggling to find her place in the rough inner city neighborhood she reluctantly calls home. Her father is either absent or abusive, her racial background makes her an outsider in the community, and drugs and violence abound. When she finds herself in a downward spiral of dealing, shoplifting, and fighting, Sweetness learns she must take her life into her own hands in order to create the future of her dreams.