When Susannah, a white woman from a privileged New York family, hears Pearl singing in a Texas high-security lockup, she knows she’s tapped a rich vein of treasured music reaching into the past. She wants the songs, but Pearl needs something from her in return. As the two negotiate an exchange, their friendship grows. Susannah bargains for Pearl’s parole and arranges for several public performances. Soon, though, the two women soon find themselves walking a delicate line between exposure and exploitation.