Dark tells the story of one Dark Freeman, a young African American man who finds himself torn between his tough urban roots – living as a resident on the impoverished, crime-ridden south side of Chicago – and his day-to-day life, in the comparatively wealthy and privileged University of Chicago, where he is enrolled as a student. Walking between the two worlds, Freeman must find a way to succeed in both, with the help of lovers, family members, close friends and acquaintances.