A Trinidadian teenager finds the strength, via an African protector deity, to challenge her incestuous uncle before he grooms her naive younger sister for prostitution. 

SYNOPSIS:

Under orders from her guilt-ridden mother, Glynis, 14-year-old Aylana Reese helps out at her Uncle Blues’ bar in a rural village in contemporary central Trinidad. Despite constantly sporting a roll of blue $100 bills, Blues is an unsuccessful gambler struggling to fund an operation to repair his leg damaged in the same accident that killed Aylana’s father two years previously. He pimps out his refugee Venezuelan waitress staff in the rooms above his bar, the same rooms in which he also rapes Aylana.

Now withdrawn and prone to sudden outbursts of rage that scare her naïve but stubborn pre-teen sister Lisette, Aylana also seems to be the only person who sees the Moko Jumbie. A majestic, 15-ft tall, stilt-walking West African deity who appears as a warning of impending danger, the Moko can sometimes take spiritual possession of those who allow It to. It terrifies Aylana because she believes that seeing It means she’s going crazy. But when Blues tries to pimp her to his major creditor, the Businessman, a pedophile and an abusive husband, she unwittingly channels the Moko’s spirit, which helps her escape.

Aylana winds up at the Jab Yard and resumes Jab-Jab martial arts training under the new Whipmaster, who suspects she’s being abused, but Aylana won’t publicly admit Blues’ molestation because she’s afraid to embarrass her family. She’s also terrified of being sent to a girls’ home, having heard the rampant news stories about children being abused in those institutions. Instead, she uses Jab to regain control over her life and learns to accept and appreciate the Moko’s presence, all the while trying to keep Lisette away from Blues.

But then Glynis finally receives a long-awaited Canadian work permit. She can’t afford to take the girls with her, so she asks Blues to temporarily care for them. Lisette is thrilled, but Aylana absolutely refuses, and hunts for alternative living arrangements. Blues hits a winning streak but is still short what he owes, so arranges with the Businessman to eliminate the remainder in exchange for “dates” with Lisette. While Glynis heads to the airport on Lisette’s 12th birthday, Lisette defies Aylana and goes to meet Blues. Hurt and bitter, Aylana rejects the Moko when it appears at the Jab Yard to take her to help Lisette, but the Whipmaster convinces her to swallow her pride.

The Moko guides Aylana to the motel where Blues has taken Lisette. She pleads with Blues to leave them alone, but he then tries to force them both to stay. Enraged, Aylana again channels the spirit of the Moko and whips Blues unconscious, allowing the girls to grab all his money and escape. The Businessman then arrives to find Blues shredded and bloody on the motel room floor, alive, but without girl or money. He strangles Blues and leaves unseen.

Aylana gives the Whipmaster some of Blues’ money for the Jab Troupe. The girls then discover that Glynis has returned from the airport because she finally saw a Moko and it triggered a memory that Blues had also molested HER when she was a child. The Businessman returns home and beats his long-suffering wife, who then shoots and kills him with his own gun. The girls give Glynis the rest of Blues’ money, and Aylana gratefully acknowledges the Moko’s help in liberating their family.