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.

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.