November, the novel’s protagonist, finds out that she is pregnant shortly after her boyfriend’s death. November is a promising and ambitious student at Frederick Douglass High School; she is diligent in her studies and always eager to volunteer for a good cause. During the summer after her junior year, November had been planning to go on the Black College Tour and to attend an academic summer program at Cornell, but the unplanned pregnancy puts her plans for the future on hold. Worried about her mother’s reaction, November does not know how to tell her about the baby, and for the first few months only shares the news with her close friends and her doctor. When she finally tells her mother about the pregnancy, Mrs. Nelson, although angry and disappointed at first, ultimately supports her, and helps November prepare for parenthood.

November doesn’t give up hope that she will be able to graduate from high school and get into college, and although she struggles to keep up with her schoolwork, she is determined to avoid dropping out. Being at school becomes even harder for her when other students learn about her pregnancy and begin to gossip about her, but she learns not to let other people’s opinions define her.