She's Promised to Him, But I Have Her Heart

Relationships can be tricky when there is a certain dynamic of power shifted in one person's favor. Nika owns a two-family flat in the Ville neighborhood and rents her bottom apartment to Usian, who grew up in the area. Their relationship is one of mutual respect and understanding, but they always butt heads, which is what contributed to the uptight personality that Nika always displays. Usian is much older than Nika and thinks she's an entitled brat, while Nika thinks that Usian is a hood rat that will eventually end up back in prison.
 Amanika, aka Nika, has her entire life ahead of her, but for some reason, she can't figure it out. She went to college and graduated with honors from Washington University, with a degree in education; however, that's not really what she wants to do. Since Nika was a teenager, she worked at her aunt's African hair braiding shop, where all of her family works. They've been applying pressure for Nika to get married, and before her father died, he arranged her to be wed. She wants to be able to pick the man she marries, and her mother doesn't seem to have a problem with it because she wants her daughter to be happy. However, the elders in the family are against it, and with her mother being Muslim, it makes things even more complicated.
 Jasper Simpson Jr., aka Usian Shakur, is an ex-convict trying to keep his life on track. He used to be a big-time drug dealer until he was locked up and served ten years in prison for drug trafficking and money laundering. He chose not to go back to the life, but a lot of his friends are still deeply involved and trying to get Usian to get back into the game. He found Islam while he was locked up and changed his way of living to better his life, but living in a neighborhood where drugs and violence dominate, there's a fine line between doing the right thing and succumbing to the pressures of your environment.

Subira has found out that Nika has been sneaking around with Usian, but no one seems to want to talk about it. Nika decided to move with her best friend to get as far away from Usian as possible. She agreed to go through with the marriage to Roc in order to fulfill her obligation and honor her father's wishes. She would have preferred to marry the man she loves, but instead she has to settle for the latter.
 Usian decided to help his nephew and get back into the street life. It wasn't hard considering that two of his closest homies were the men on the streets. He decided to teach CJ the ropes of being a hustler, but this move wasn't going to be permanent. Nika may be promised to another, but that didn't mean he was going to accept it, because she may be promised to another, but her heart belonged to him.

Nika and Usian secretly got married, but not everyone is happy about it. Subira uses this as a way to show her family that they have no control over her daughter's life, and Nika shows them that what she feels in her heart is more important than the deceitful arranged marriage that everyone wants her to go through. However, Nika's family aren't the only ones who are outraged about the marriage. Jessica is devasted by the news and refuses to accept the fact that Usian is done with her.
 CJ is stressed out, trying to hide Precious's pregnancy from his uncle, not to mention he's lied to Usian about Precious's involvement in the robbery. Pooh is steady applying pressure, and CJ knows that he has to do something about it, especially since he killed his mother. CJ should have been handled this situation, and if he's not careful, things can get even worse.
 Relationships will be put to the test, and loyalties will fall where they lie. The love that Usian and Nika share is unwavering, but even perfect relationships face adversity. Will they be able to overcome everything that's coming their way, or will the hate and pressure being applied to the both of them be the cause of their downfall?