She is a sixteen year old African-American girl living in Harlem, unable to read or write, and is pregnant by her father for the second time.

This is only a fraction of the protagonist's story in Precious, a film presenting a harsh portrait of child abuse through the eyes of Clareece "Precious" Jones, played by Gabourey Sidibe.

The life of Precious has so much neglect and negativity that her moving forward is inspirational. From the age of three, her chance for a decent life was shattered by her father's abuse. She loses interest in school, is unable to seek help, and eventually accepts her life as normal. Precious imagines an alternate reality as a Caucasian girl with a perfect life. Her imagination is her only escape when she endures abuse, but she is constantly brought back to reality by her overpowering mother Mary, played by Mo'Nique. She treats Precious more as a servant than a daughter, blaming her for driving her own father away. Mary constantly tells Precious that she will never be anything in life, much less be loved, and that she should focus on getting welfare. Mary's reckless actions leave Precious scarred and unable to move on.

Precious starts to attend an alternative school that she was referred to, despite her mother's discouragement. Ms. Rain, played by Paula Patton, shows her that it is never too late to succeed. In the classroom, she begins to let her guard down and her peers become the family she never had. She visits her social worker, Mrs. Weiss, played by Mariah Carey, and begins to slowly move forward with her life. Her reality comes back to haunt her despite her best efforts to change. She gives birth to her second child and when she returns home, her mother's cruelty reaches a new height. She leaves her home for a halfway house and rebuilds her life. But soon her world is again shattered by news from her mother.

As the film progresses, it becomes clear that Precious perserveres to provide for a better life for her children. Precious is a story of what hope can make a person endure, a notion that is often forgotten in today's society.[X]