Plot
In Edgewood, Atlanta, Monty James is a mechanic working for Willie, who dreams of owning his own shop. His three daughters, Sierra, Lauryn, and China, live with their maternal grandmother, Kat, but Monty visits regularly and provides financial support. Before her death, Kat asks Monty to take custody of them since her daughter, Monty's ex-wife Jennifer, barely has any interest in the girls, caring more about her live-in boyfriend Joe, a drug dealer in the neighborhood.
Following Kat's funeral, Jennifer arrives with Joe and his thugs. She tries to physically take the girls from Monty, but her aunt Rita steps in. She leaves, telling Monty she intends to seek full custody of the girls.
Monty accepts a job as a driver for attorney Julia Rossmore at the recommendation of his next-door neighbor Maya to earn extra money. One night, after Julia’s friends Brenda and Cynthia set her up on a blind date with Byron, Monty has to work later than expected. While driving her home, Monty receives a call that his children were involved in a house fire, so he immediately heads to the hospital without telling Julia, who fires him.
When Monty arrives at the hospital, it is revealed that Sierra accidentally started a fire and that the girls were home alone with no adult supervision until Maya rescued them. Social Services representative Laurie Bell grants immediate temporary custody to Jennifer. Meanwhile, the girls face constant abuse and neglect from Joe and Jennifer. Monty is called to Sierra's school after she is caught with drugs. Sierra explains that Joe and Jennifer are forcing her to sell drugs, threatening to hurt Monty if she refuses. Aware that Joe can afford a high-power attorney for the custody hearing, Monty goes to Julia for help, but she turns him away, assuming he only wants the girls to get government assistance.
On Monty’s custody hearing day, Julia leaves for a different courtroom and overhears his failing attempt to represent himself. After listening to Monty try to inform the judge that the girls are living with a drug dealer. Julia agrees to represent him. Monty takes her to the jazz club in his neighborhood for her birthday, where they drink and dance with his friends. Over the next few weeks, Monty and Julia develop romantic feelings for each other. Julia runs into Brenda, who had met Monty before, and discovers they are now a couple. Brenda pulls Julia to the side and berates her, stating that he is beneath her status.
After being injured in a robbery, Monty's boss, Willie, decides to retire and offers to sell the shop to Monty, and he accepts his offer. At the child custody hearing, Julia argues that it would be in the children's best interest for Monty to be awarded custody and provides the court with a written statement from Kat. Jennifer's lawyer counters by claiming that Monty is not suitable to raise the girls due to a conviction of statutory rape that occurred 16 years prior. Julia feels betrayed and stops representing him and leaves.
Monty's daughters arrive at his house and inform him that Joe has been beating them. While his daughters are asleep, a livid Monty drives off and crashes into Jennifer and Joe's car, dragging Joe out of his car and brutally beating him. As Joe's thugs attack Monty, Aunt Rita, Willie, and the other neighbors rush to his defense and fight Joe's thugs as the police arrive. Julia sees a news report about the near-riot and rushes to help Monty after she learns from the report that he’d been wrongfully convicted of the rape charges.
Jennifer and Joe face drug charges and the neighbors testify against Jennifer, Joe, and his thugs, so the judge has them taken into custody with no bond. Monty is charged with assaulting Joe, but Julia walks in to represent him, apologizing for not hearing his side of the story. The witnesses refuse to testify against Monty, so the judge dismisses the case.
Monty's daughters greet him and Julia at the auto shop, which Monty now owns. As he, Julia, and his daughters enter the auto shop, the rest of the neighborhood celebrates Monty's release.
