Mercedes Steele left her home in Manhattan with only a few items: her backpack, a change of clothes, and her most prized possession of all, her portfolio of nail designs. Dreaming of opening her own nail salon, Mercedes refuses to succumb to her parents, who have pressured her to attend college and then law school, with a job already waiting for her in her parents’ law firm.

While hitchhiking, Mercedes accepts a ride from an older man named Milton Shaw. Soon she finds herself in the small town of New Liberty, Pennsylvania, just across the state line from New York. Not planning on staying in the town for long, she finds herself welcomed by some of the residents, who help her get settled and encourage her to chase her dreams.

After a confrontation with her parents in New Liberty, Mercedes realizes that, while you can’t choose your family, you can, however, choose friends who become family.