An Alabamian boy named Josh knocks on an African American family's door because he is in need of someone to draw for his art project. He is failing a few classes in school and hurriedly chooses someone as his art project subject--a girl named Shanice whom he teases in school. There are many children in Shanice's home; Josh assumes they are her siblings. His initial thoughts about the house and its inhabitants are racially charged and very judgemental. Mrs. Sharpe, the head of the house, welcomes him in and introduces him to Tyrone, one of the older boys. Tyrone leads Josh to his room and shows him the drawings he does. Josh ends up drawing Tyrone and finding some joy in the way the children glow with excitement at the drawing. Though many of the children want to be drawn as well, Shanice ends up appearing and reluctantly inviting Josh into her room. Her room is described as something similar to a bunker as it is underground and has no windows. It also looks like a church because there are framed pictures of people and candles surrounding them. While Josh draws Shanice and endures teasing from Tyrone in the floor above him, Shanice tries on a variety of different wigs. This initially annoys Josh, but he realizes he has some romantic feelings for Shanice as well, despite his initial teasing. As he draws, Josh asks about Shanice's family, her bedroom, and her wigs. They also share a heart-to-heart about how Josh is actually very poor, even though he lives in a nice part of town. Shanice further talks about how the children in the pictures are ones who have died and that her mother is also suffering from ovarian cancer. She, like Tyrone, really enjoys the drawing Josh makes of her initially, but she soon breaks down about her mother and the deceased children. Amidst her distress, Tyrone reaches down and steals the wig off of her head, leaving her bald. Josh realizes why Shanice has so many wigs and ends up redrawing her hair with hair of others he has seen at school rather than a wig. She agrees to go on a date to the art museum with Josh and the two share an intimate moment together after her family leaves for the store.