RAIN is the story of a 19-year-old African-American girl who lives in the inner-city projects with her younger sister, older brother and their mother, Latisha. When Rain’s sister becomes involved with gang members, she is drugged at a party, and then becomes the subject of sexually explicit photos that are used for blackmail. Rain tries to intervene, but is unsuccessful, and ultimately witnesses her sister's murder, thus becoming a threat to the gang leader. In order to protect Rain, her mother secretly contacts what turns out to be Rain's real mother — who happens to be white.
A meeting is arranged, and Rain discovers her true roots: She is the secret child of a bi-racial union and was put up for adoption. Rain’s biological mother reluctantly agrees to protect her, and Rain is placed in the home of her grandmother, a wealthy white woman. While their relationship is initially uneasy, it ultimately turns loving, and as a result of her grandmother's assistance, Rain is placed in a private boarding school for the gifted, which culminates in her emergence as a talented singer and musician.