Jolene Bell awakens in a dilapidated apartment in San Francisco with a splitting headache and no memory of her current situation. The pungent smell of cheap alcohol and mildew overwhelms her senses. A middle-aged landlady stands over her, demanding immediate eviction due to a month of unpaid rent. Jolene is confused, wondering who Jolene Bell is, until fragmented memories flood her mind. She realizes she has transmigrated into the body of a twenty-five-year-old single mother who has been a severe alcoholic for five years, neglecting her five-year-old daughter, Emma. The original owner had squandered her savings and lost her job as a live-in nanny, leaving them in dire poverty.
The situation becomes critical when Child Protective Services arrives, alerted by a neighbor regarding neglect. Terrified that Emma will be taken away, Jolene makes a split-second decision. Ignoring her hangover and physical weakness, she grabs Emma and flees through the fire escape into the notorious Tenderloin slums. They hide in a public restroom, where Jolene washes the grime from their bodies. For the first time, she tenderly cares for Emma, washing her hair and drying it, actions the neglectful original mother never performed. Emma, though wary, begins to trust this new version of her mother.
With no money and no identification, Jolene seeks refuge at a church in the Tenderloin. The staff member, Isabella, offers them a temporary spot in the basement dormitory and food. Jolene learns that the original owner was the mistress of a Republican state legislator, McCallis, who paid her $200,000 to disappear. That money is long gone. Desperate to keep custody of Emma, Jolene decides she must prove she is rehabilitated. She registers at a free alcohol treatment center on Hyde Street, securing a schedule of weekly support sessions and counseling. This provides her with official documentation of her efforts to quit drinking, a crucial step in preventing CPS from removing Emma.
While volunteering at the church to earn a small stipend and food, Jolene receives a call about a live-in nanny position. The employer, Hugh Raymond, requires eight years of experience and someone who has raised a child. Jolene fabricates a resume, claiming her three years with McCallis plus five years raising Emma equals the required experience. She travels to the Inner Sunset, a safe and affluent neighborhood, for the interview. Hugh Raymond, a young man in his mid-twenties, hires her on the spot, offering a salary of twenty dollars an hour and housing for both Jolene and Emma. He emphasizes the need for a quiet household.
Upon arriving at the Raymond residence, Jolene discovers the challenge is not just the job, but the child she must care for. Hugh’s younger brother, Ben, is also five years old but is spoiled, tantrum-prone, and refuses to eat or cooperate with previous nannies. Ben is waiting for his brother to come home, refusing dinner until he arrives. The household chef, Giovanni, is helpless against Ben’s behavior. Jolene, having no experience with children, devises a strategy. She has Emma eat her pasta enthusiastically on the lawn, making loud slurping sounds. Ben, curious and hungry, eventually gives in and eats. Jolene then engages Ben by treating him with adult respect, signing a mock book rental contract with him. This earns his trust and curiosity. Ben, who is academically advanced for his age, begins teaching Emma, creating a bond between the siblings. When Hugh returns late, he is surprised to find the house quiet and Ben happy. Jolene successfully establishes a routine, reading to Emma and managing Ben’s demands, securing her position as the third nanny this month but the first to survive the first week.
