Alike, a 17-year-old African-American girl living in Brooklyn, navigates her sexual identity amidst a conservative household. She frequents an underground lesbian nightclub with her openly lesbian friend, Laura, and embraces her butch identity outside her home. However, at home, she presents a more feminine appearance to satisfy her mother’s traditional values. Her mother, Audrey, pressures Alike to befriend church-going girls, while her father, Arthur, maintains a distant yet somewhat supportive stance.

The tension in Alike's life escalates as she grows closer to Bina, a girl introduced by Audrey, which leads to a further exploration of her identity. Alike's struggle for authenticity becomes increasingly arduous as her relationships with her family and friends are pushed to their breaking points. She faces immense challenges and deeply personal decisions while she comes to terms with her true self and her place in an often unaccepting world.