Zikora grows up in Nigeria with her mother and father and they live a peaceful and content life. Her father ends up marrying a second woman when Zikora is eight years old and her mother is fine with the situation as Zikora's father promises to prioritize them. However, when her father's second wife, Aunty Nwanneka gives birth to a son, he insists that he must stay with the second family. Zikora's mother is overcome with despair and seems to change for the worse. Zikora refuses to acknowledge her father's faults and responsibility for the situation, blaming her mother for her father's absence. She ends up making all of her life decisions moving forward based on her father's desires, ignoring her mother's wants. Zikora's father suggests that she move to the United States to study instead of England (as her mother wants), and so she moves to Washington D.C.

Zikora becomes a high-powered attorney and eventually meets another charming attorney, Kwame, at a book launch. As Zikora starts dating him, she is blown away by his maturity and wit. Zikora allows herself to dream of a future with him as he continues to be loving and supportive instead of thinking that he may be too perfect of a person for her and may leave her one day. She boasts about Kwame to her close cousin who still lives in Nigeria, Mmiliaku, through frequent phone calls. Mmiliaku is unfortunately married to an abusive man and Zikora often wonders at her cousin's unfortunate circumstances.

One evening, Zikora tells Kwame that she is pregnant. He seems confused and asks Zikora why stopping her birth control allowed her to become pregnant. He seems uninterested in having the child and offers to pay for an abortion for Zikora. Zikora is confused as both of them have stable careers, are in their late-thirties, and should want to start a family by now. Zikora wants to have this baby but Kwame doesn't and walks out on her. Zikora is confused by Kwame's actions throughout her pregnancy and cannot understand what happened and why. She constantly thinks about their interactions, looks through old messages, and unsuccessfully tries to contact Kwame. Mmiliaku tells her that she needs to let go of him and that she will be all right but Zikora is worried that she is unprepared to go through motherhood on her own.

Zikora's mother is the only one who shows up for the birth of Zikora's child. Zikora is overwhelmed with physical pain and openly expresses her discomfort, something she knows her mother is embarrassed by. The longer the labor continues, the more Zikora's anger turns to despair as she misses Kwame very much and wishes he were in the delivery room with her. As Zikora holds her son for the first time, she doesn't feel what she is supposed to feel as a new mother. She calls her father and shows him her new son after which Zikora reconsiders her parents' relationship and thinks of all of the pain her father must have caused her mother.

As Zikora, her mother, and her son return to her apartment, Zikora does not feel well at all. She is absolutely terrified of going it alone with her son but her mother tells her that she will stay as long as Zikora needs her. Zikora watches her mother look after her son and suddenly understands who exactly her mother is after all this time.