Kiswana Browne is a twenty-something college dropout. She comes from a well-to-do upper-middle-class family but has chosen to live in a studio apartment on Brewster Place. When she looks out her sixth-floor apartment window, she can see the tops of the trees of the neighborhood where she lived until recently and sometimes longs for the luxury of the place. However, she is determined to make her own way in the world without her parents' help or their influence.

On this day, as she is looking out of her window, she recognizes the well-dressed woman walking toward her building. When the woman nears, Kiswana realizes that it is her mother. So Kiswana rushes around her apartment, quickly picking up clothes, making up the sofa bed, and otherwise clearing away all signs of her boyfriend, Abshu, who shares the place with her. Just before her mother makes it to the door, Kiswana quickly circles several help-wanted ads to make it look as if she were serious about finding a job.

When she opens the door, she finds her mother, well dressed as usual. Her mother greets her, calling her Melanie. It is the name Kiswana was born with. Only recently has Kiswana changed it, to make her feel more African. Her mother apologizes for visiting without giving Kiswana any notice. If her daughter had a phone, Mrs. Browne says, she could have made better arrangements. Kiswana explains that the phone company demands that she pay a large deposit before they will provide services, and currently Kiswana cannot afford it. Hearing this, Kiswana's mother tells her that she will give her daughter the money, but Kiswana refuses to be indebted to her family.

Mrs. Browne notices the circled ads and admonishes her daughter for not having stayed in college. If she had finished her degree, Mrs. Browne tells her, she could have a better job and would not have to live in such poverty. Kiswana tells her mother that she wants to experience the life of what she refers to as "their people," insinuating that poor African Americans are more real than African Americans who live middle-class lives. Mrs. Browne bristles at this suggestion. She reminds her daughter that her great-grandfather, as well as her grandparents, were very much involved in fighting not only for civil rights but also for better lives. They worked hard, and there was nothing to be ashamed of in being successful. She also tells Kiswana how much it hurt her when her daughter wanted to change her name. When she was born, Mrs. Browne gave her daughter the name of her grandmother, a proud and strong woman who raised nine children and fought for their rights.

By the end of the visit, the women begin to realize that though they have different ways of expressing their thoughts and beliefs, they also have a lot in common. After her mother leaves, Kiswana notices an envelope sticking out from between two sofa cushions. When she opens it up, she finds seventy-five dollars, the exact amount needed to pay the deposit on the phone. She rushes to the window to call to her mother and to tell her that she does not want it. However, at the last minute, she changes her mind and smiles at her mother's generosity.