Kamal Jackson is a black novelist who has reached an impasse in his career. His work is either too white for black audiences or too black for white audiences. He decides to do something about it, in spite of the opposition he gets from his new love interest, Yasmin. Concocting a Caucasian-sounding pseudonym and a backstory to rival J. D. Salinger's, Kamal sets out to rework his most current novel for a new round of publishers. Kamal must now ask if he is prepared to sacrifice his relationship with Yasmin and his identity as a writer of color in order to see his project through to its uncertain conclusion.