Shakira "Kira" Dupree has lived in the hood of Louisiana, where people are murdered every day. Her mom is all she has ever had, even though their relationship is rocky because her mom acts as if she is jealous of her daughter. Her father divorced her mom when she was just seven years old, and he went and made a new family, forgetting about Kira. Shakira has just graduated at the top of her class in high school; now she is excited to go to college. Everything is fine in the Dupree house. She has done her best to stay out of trouble and the crazy shit in Atlanta. But her mom is dating a man way younger than her, and he's living in the house with them with a secret. August "Yung" Alsina has always been on his own since he was a kid. Growing up in the foster system because his mother was crack addicted taught him to depend only on himself. He started dating Renee "Nae" Love, who is Shakira's mother, because she provided everything he needed: money, a place to live, and peace, but lately Renee throws herself into her work as a hair salon owner. This leaves Shakira home alone with August a lot, and he is beginning to think he needs a different kind of woman. What starts as one night of drunken sex between a level-headed college girl and a cold-blooded kingpin in the streets will draw August and Shakira closer when her beautiful looks and personality wear off on August. He vows to never let Renee find out who he really is and n not to let up off Shakira no matter how she tries to walk away and say what they are doing is wrong. She will unlock a world that August keeps hidden from her mother and become a totally different woman. The hustle will try to keep them apart, but the thing is, they are strong enough to handle the test thrown at them.