In 1990, amid the Kuwait War of 1990–1991, 13-year-old Jasira, Summer Bishil, a Lebanese-American girl, lives with her mother in Syracuse, New York. When her mother's live-in boyfriend helps Jasira shave her pubic hair, her mother sends Jasira to live with her old-fashioned and domineering Lebanese father, Rifat, in suburban Houston, Texas. Rifat is intensely strict; he does not permit her to use tampons and would rather spend time with his new girlfriend Thena. Even Jasira’s mother offers little support when she reaches out for help, leaving Jasira to endure his rules on her own.
Jasira’s sexual awakening begins gradually, sparked in part by adult magazines she discovers while babysitting her next-door neighbor Zack Vuoso. One night, while Jasira is home alone, Zack’s father, Travis Vuoso, comes by to retrieve one of the magazines and sexually assaults her. She then befriends a classmate, Thomas Bradley, and the two become sexually active. Rifat learns of her relationship with Thomas and forbids it, insisting she end things simply because Thomas is Black.
Envy and fear drive Mr. Vuoso to retaliate. Jealous of Jasira’s affection for Thomas, he pretends he has to go to Iraq the next morning and tricks Jasira into sleeping with him. When Rifat finds one of Mr. Vuoso’s adult magazines at his house, he beats Jasira, prompting her to seek refuge at the home of Melina and Gil, neighbors who are pregnant and already wary of Mr. Vuoso’s inappropriate behavior toward Jasira. Gil notices bruises on Jasira’s legs, and Rifat storms the door, determined to reclaim his daughter. Melina and Gil refuse to let him in, threatening to alert the police, and Gil tells him they will report the bruises he has left on Jasira if he persists.
The following day, Melina picks Jasira up along with Thomas, and they return home, where the couple contemplates having sex but nearly get caught by Melina in the act. Later, Rifat visits the couple with Thena, confronts Thomas, and even inspects the house, discovering a condom in the trash. He assumes Thomas is responsible for Jasira’s loss of virginity and makes a move to assault him, forcing Jasira to reveal that she had slept with Mr. Vuoso, who is then arrested and released on bail the next day.
Thomas speaks with Jasira about the abuse she endured from Mr. Vuoso, explaining that he does not want to continue their relationship, while Jasira admits she does. One day after school, Jasira goes to Travis’ house to retrieve the corpse of his cat, which had run off after being struck by Rifat. Melina unexpectedly sees Jasira speaking with Mr. Vuoso and hurries outside to stop the conversation, but trips and bleeds, triggering her labor. At the hospital, Jasira asks Rifat to accompany Melina to the delivery room since her husband is delayed. Although he initially refuses, he eventually chooses to trust Jasira and allows her to stay in the delivery room. He then leaves, and Jasira witnesses Melina give birth to a baby girl, a moment that marks a significant shift in the uneasy bonds between the two families.
