Facing criminal charges after a protest turns violent, Ella is forced to leave Oakland, CA to live with her estranged father and his family in Johannesburg, South Africa. Upon her arrival at her new elite school, Ella immediately plots her escape back home, only to find herself in the clutches of her mysterious and powerful stepmother.

Ella's attempt to flee South Africa causes chaos at school as the administration investigates who was able to escape their heavily guarded campus. Ella must do what she can to cover her tracks so she doesn't get caught, all while trying to keep the mean girls off her back.

After striking a deal with her stepmother Dianne to spy on a classmate in exchange for going back to Oakland, Ella does whatever she can to get close to a boy she can't stand, all while trying to pursue another.

Ella finally gets closer to Noko as part of her mission, but starts to see a different side of him that makes her question if her stepmother is right about him and his family. While she questions whether she has misjudged Noko, her classmates stire up trouble for her new relationship with Dawoud.

Believing her job as an amateur spy completed, Ella pushes Dianne to honor their deal and arrange for her to return home to California, but Dianne tells her the work Ella has been helping with is not done yet.

Ella must find a way into an exclusive Spring Break party if she has any chance of saving her relationship with Dawoud, but her relationship status is the least of her worries when her meddling gets her, Noko, and Greta in serious danger.

After being kidnapped, Ella and Noko must find a way to escape without putting themselves in even more danger.

Dianne finally arranges for Ella to go back home after her father finds out about Dianne using Ella as a spy, but before Ella leaves she decides to confront the person Dianne has been tracking, putting her in even more danger.