Portia Nathan is a highly successful admissions officer at Princeton University who has devoted her entire life to her career. One day, she receives an invitation to visit an alternative high school called Quest, where she meets John Pressman, a former classmate of hers from college who is now the head of the school. John believes that one of his students, Jeremiah, may be the child that Portia had given up for adoption many years ago, which comes as a complete shock to her.
As Portia begins to investigate the matter, she finds that her feelings for John are rekindled, which becomes a problem when she realizes that the father of her own child, Mark, is in a relationship with a colleague of hers. Meanwhile, Jeremiah is a highly gifted student who is very unconventional in his approach to learning. Despite being an excellent student, he has his own personal struggles to overcome, including a difficult relationship with his adopted parents.
As Portia struggles to navigate her personal and professional life, she finds that she is increasingly drawn to John and to the idea of reconnecting with her long-lost son. But as she gets closer to the truth about Jeremiah's parentage, she realizes that the consequences of her actions could have far-reaching and unexpected consequences for everyone involved. In the end, Portia must make a difficult decision about her future and the future of the people she cares about most.