Set in a fictitious Hollywood studio in 1942, this elegant drama contrasts society's views of Black women with their self-perceptions. An ambitious movie executive, Mignon Dupree is perceived by her associates as white; she passes. While she is proud of her African American heritage, she considers her own race and gender incidental barriers to her goals. When a Black singer is called in to sing off-camera while a famous white actress lip-syncs in a movie musical, Mignon is confronted with her own complicity in the exploitive system.