It is 1940 in Selma, Alabama, as Tallulah Beulah Norris works as a maid for a white woman. Although she has hazel eyes, light skin, and reddish-brown hair, Tallulah has already realized she will never pass for anything other than a Negro in her town. Sired by a white banker who wants nothing to do with her and ostracized by those around her, Tallulah begins plotting her escape from the colored world.

As she develops a plan to become white, Tallulah changes her name to Clara Brett, prepares for tenth grade graduation, and dreams of becoming an occupational therapist. When her mother...