The Keeper of Caged Hearts is the story of two young African American people, Sondra Mercer and Marcus Williams. Set in a small inner city of Upstate New York, Sondra and Marcus find themselves leaning on each other as they endure neglect and hatred from the very people that were supposed to love and protect them. Sondra, raised solely by her grandmother, knows nothing of her father or her incarcerated mother. With the arrival of her grandmother's new boyfriend James, Sondra is uncertain if she will remain a priority. Sondra grows suspicious of James' motives. The suspicion of James, the neglect of her mother, and the deterioration of her grandmother's health affect Sondra deeply.
On the other hand life on the outside for Marcus appears to be that of an average middle class family, but on the inside a thin veil of pain exists within the Williams household. Forced to confront the tragedy of his older brothers death, Marcus slips into a depression that is overlooked by his parents who are also trying to cope with the loss. When Marcus learns of secrets within his family he finds himself caught in the middle.
Depressed and confused from dealing with issues that no young man or woman should have to deal with Marcus and Sondra confide in each other about their dysfunctional families Marcus and Sondra come to find out that demons from the past can sometimes come back to haunt the present.