For Chance Bates, life doesn't come with too many certainties. He learned this while growing up in the foster care system, being shifted from one home to the next. What he does know is that only the strong survive, and he is determined to make something of himself and marry the girl of his dreams. His girl, Patrice Trent, teaches Chance that life is wonderful. She should know. She grew up in an upper-class black family where her opportunities have been abundant. But when her family learns that Chance was born to a mother with a severe mental illness, they are determined that Patrice will not taint their bloodline with the likeness of his family's defective genes. Meanwhile, after spending years in a mental institution and working to get her life together, Chance's mother Sharon Bates resurfaces to find him just as his life is spiraling out of control. After so many years of not being there for her son, will she now be able to help him, or will her appearance ruin everything he has achieved?