Don’t Tell Mama opens with Chloe, a 16-year-old interracial teenager sitting with a quiet anticipation in her apartment building lobby, ripping holes in her tights. The blare of a car horn makes her glance up. She's greeted by her father, Vasco, a Montenegrin immigrant with a larger-than-life persona. He's late, disheveled, and critical of her appearance. Tension builds when he inquires about Chloe’s mother, revealing that the parents are in the midst of a divorce. The pair have a heated conversation that ultimately ends in disjointed spirits. As Chloe’s world blurs, the question remains of how their relationship will be moving forward.