Stella is an exceptionally smart eighth grader from a poor family. She and her friend Liza attend an exclusive all girls' private school on scholarship. Together they navigate the challenges of being the "poor" girls in a world of the ultra rich, while also figuring out how they are ever going to meet boys. Stella is an only child and a gifted ballet dancer. She yearns to know more about her family, but her parents shut her down every time she asks about it. When she is assigned a school project to draw a family tree, her beloved dance teacher gives her a gift that will change her life forever.