With white Jewish lesbians for parents and two adopted brothers, Brooklyn teen Avery, a local track star in high school, grew up in a unique and loving household. But Avery's curiosity about her African-American roots compels her to contact her birth mother, thrusting her into a complicated exploration of race and identity that threatens to distance her from her family. Off and Running follows Avery on her quest as she attempts to pick up the pieces of her life and make sense of her place in the world.