The protagonist of the novel, Darren grew up in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, in the brownstone that his mother owns. His father died in a car accident when Darren was two. At the novel’s start, Darren is a Starbucks manager with few plans for the future, despite urging by his mother and his girlfriend, Soraya, to seek out new opportunities. When he upsells a coffee drink to Rhett Daniels, the cofounder and CEO of the tech company Sumwun, Rhett offers him a job. However, Darren is initially reluctant; he is resistant to change and unsure if this is the right opportunity for him.

Once Darren accepts the job at Sumwun, he undergoes a change as he becomes more and more absorbed in his role with the company. Although he faces culture shock and racism in the workplace, he aims to act as the version of himself that he thinks will be acceptable at Sumwun. Darren’s allegiance to the company brings new tensions: His childhood friend Jason believes his friend is breaking with community ties, and he increasingly identifies with his work self rather than the Darren that his family and friends have always known.