It is the 1960s as Betty Jean Carter harbors a hidden desire to leave her hometown in the Bayou. She not only wants to attend college, but also escape her abusive stepfather and demanding mother. One day when Betty Jean tells her parents she wants to enroll in Howard University, her abusive stepfather and unsupportive mother shun the idea. Confused and hurt, Betty Jean runs away. After Betty Jean hitchhikes to Washington, D.C., she soon realizes she lacks the finances and criteria to be accepted at Howard. With nowhere to live, Betty Jean is embraced by the underground street life. As she...

It is the 1960s as Betty Jean Carter harbors a hidden desire to leave her hometown in the Bayou. She not only wants to attend college, but also escape her abusive stepfather and demanding mother. One day when Betty Jean tells her parents she wants to enroll in Howard University, her abusive stepfather and unsupportive mother shun the idea. Confused and hurt, Betty Jean runs away. After Betty Jean hitchhikes to Washington, D.C., she soon realizes she lacks the finances and criteria to be accepted at Howard. With nowhere to live, Betty Jean is embraced by the underground street life. As she...