As a child, Sweetness neglected and punished her daughter Lula Ann “Bride” Bridewell because she was born with darker skin than Sweetness or her husband Louis. Because Bride doesn’t look like him, Louis is convinced Sweetness had sex with another man, resulting in the pregnancy, and he abandons the family. Sweetness explains that she treated Bride poorly as a child because she had to prepare Bride for the racism that she would inevitably face as a woman with darker skin. Sweetness also says that while some might think it’s wrong to group people according to color, this is the only way for some people to maintain a modicum of dignity in a racist world.
As an adult, Bride has become a successful executive at a cosmetics company, Sylvia Inc. She is about to launch her own line of makeup at Sylvia, Inc. for people of all complexions, from “ebony to lemonade to milk.” The line is called YOU, GIRL. Bride drives a Jaguar and lives in an apartment in the city. Her boyfriend of six months, Booker Starbern, has just left her after he and Bride fought about Bride’s plan to visit a convicted child molester, Sofia Huxley, who is about to be released after 15 years in prison.
After the breakup, Bride drives her Jaguar to the prison with a gift basket of YOU, GIRL cosmetics and money. Bride recalls testifying against Sofia during her trial and helping send her to jail. Bride’s testimony, though, was false—later, she admits to making it up to try and please her mother and win her love and affection. When Bride sees Sofia exiting the prison, Bride offers her a ride. Sofia declines and gets into a taxi.
Bride follows Sofia to a motel and knocks on her door. When Sofia recognizes Bride, she beats her and throws her out of the motel room. Instead of going to the police, Bride calls her friend Brooklyn, who picks her up and brings her to a clinic. Bride’s injuries put her out of work for the next few weeks. As she recovers, she notices that her body is changing: the holes of her ear piercings have closed up and her pubic hair has been “erased.”
While at home recovering, Bride receives an envelope addressed to Booker. When she opens it, she finds an invoice from a pawn shop for something that Booker left to be repaired. At the pawn shop, Bride finds Salvatore Ponti, who gives her Booker’s repaired trumpet. Salvatore, who goes by Sally, also gives Bride another address for Booker, which is in Whiskey, California. Bride decides to go to California to find Booker.
On the way to Whiskey, Bride’s car careens off the road and runs into a tree. She becomes trapped in the wreckage. A young girl (Rain) comes to the car first and then returns with an older man. The man carries Bride to what seems like an old warehouse. At first, Bride is afraid of what the man might do to her. She learns, though, that the man, Steve, and his wife, Evelyn, are an activist couple. They don’t have much money but are intent on helping people because it’s the right thing to do. Bride also learns that Steve and Evelyn found Rain in a downpour after her mother kicked her out of the house. Rain later tells Bride that her mother had been sexually trafficking her. Bride takes about six weeks to recover at Steve and Evelyn’s house. Rain and Bride form a close bond, and Rain misses Bride deeply once she leaves.
When Bride arrives in Whiskey, she finds a woman named Queen at the address she has for Booker. Queen explains that she is Booker’s aunt, and while Booker doesn’t live there, he lives nearby. She gives Bride the address. Bride goes to Booker’s house, and when they first see each other, they fight. Booker tells Bride to leave. Bride yells that Booker shouldn’t have left in the first place and breaks a bottle over his head. Booker demands to know why Bride defended a known child molester. He explains that when he was a child, his brother Adam was sexually assaulted and murdered by a pedophile. Bride tells Booker that she falsely testified against Sofia and was trying to make things right when she visited her. Bride falls asleep. When she wakes up, she and Booker reconcile their differences.
Meanwhile, Queen’s house goes up in flames. By the time Booker and Bride arrive, a crowd has already gathered. Bride and Booker run into the house and drag out Queen’s unconscious body. An ambulance takes her to the hospital. While Queen is recovering, Bride and Booker regularly visit and care for Queen. Queen seems to be recovering steadily, but a hospital-borne illness suddenly afflicts her. Queen rapidly declines before passing away. Booker stages an impromptu memorial for Queen, where he plays trumpet. Unsatisfied with his playing, he throws his trumpet into the river. When he gets back into Bride’s Jaguar, she tells him that she is pregnant and that he is the father. Bride and Booker celebrate the pregnancy together.
When Sweetness receives a letter from Bride telling her she is going to be a grandmother, she thinks about the mistakes she made in raising Bride. Sweetness predicts that while Bride might not make the same mistakes in raising her child, she will make mistakes of her own, and the child will bear the brunt of those errors.
