Lotus is a talented musician, able to play at a new arts school in her district. However, the school was built instead of giving more money to schools in the poorer area of Miami, the neighborhood she had been going to school in. Her best friend, Rebel, wants Lotus to help her protest this, but Lotus is really excited to go to a school where she can focus on her music. Lotus also rocks an afro, and this becomes the thing that people who feel like Lotus is pushing them out of the way use to try to get her expelled. Will Lotus learn to stand up for herself? 

There's a lot in here about learning when to stand up for yourself and how, and not being railroaded into something you don't want to do. There's also a good amount about what it does to you to be passive all the time.