After a protest turns violent, rebellious teenage Ella is forced to leave Oakland, CA to live with her estranged father and his family in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Ella tries to flee South Africa to return to Oakland, but her attempt causes chaos at school and forces her to cover her tracks so she doesn't get caught.
Ella agrees to spy on her classmate Noko for her step-mother Dianne in exchange for going back to Oakland.
Ella starts hanging out with Noko and starts to see a different side of him, making her wonder if she has misjudged him as she completes her mission.
Believing her job as an amateur spy completed, Ella pushes Dianne to honour 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 works to mend a relationship impacted by her spying, while also working to attend an exclusive Spring Break event that ends with Noko getting kidnapped and Ella going after him.
After the kidnapping, Ella wakes up to find she and Noko are trapped in an unknown location and Noko urges her to not engage with the kidnappers for their own safety.
Dianne finally arranges for Ella to go back home after her father Gabe 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.