Two African-American girls, Neeka and the unnamed narrator, have known each other since they were babies. They are eleven years old and live in Queens, New York. One day, another girl named D arrives on their block. With strange clothes and a multi-racial look, D is surprising to the girls. They soon strike up a lasting friendship. All three girls love the music of rapper Tupac Shakur. They feel Tupac sings as if he knows them and their struggles personally.