Rose Burton yearns to cut a strangling parental leash. After being diagnosed with diabetes, she hashes out a plan to graduate early so she can attend the University of Tennessee with the love of her life, Marcus Vega.

Marcus is a young man from the wrong side of the creek. After beating his addiction, he devotes himself to becoming a physician and earning the right to love Rose Burton. But devotion can't erase the past. When he's accused of being involved in a gang shooting, he risks everything to prove his innocence and protect the ones he loves.