Plot

The Mark follows the story of newlyweds Shay Manning, a family-oriented woman, and Devin Manning, a self-conscious man, who comes from a well-rounded family that has been working in the government for over a century. He is looking to carry his family mark to the next generation. They live in a society where you show your connection and love for another through gaining their birthmark on your own body. This story starts in a critical moment in their life when their firstborn child is welcomed into the world. We soon realize that the mark of their child has only been shared with Shay due to her loving of the newborn child, Noah Manning. Noah is an only child, which causes him to be somewhat spoiled by his mother. We then fast forward fifteen years in the future. Devin still has yet to receive Noah's mark (though Noah has had his since birth), and this is a point of tension for the entire family. This contributes to Noah's embarrassment at the mark he shares with his father, which he secretly covers while at school by wearing a hoodie. He usually manages to get away with this because Shay almost always is the one to pick him up and drop him off at school, but he gets caught when one day Devin unexpectedly picks him up from school. While driving Devin begins to yell at Noah for his actions, but fails to see an oncoming tree, which he collides with. Due to the crash, Noah is rushed to the hospital. Upon realizing that he may lose his child and legacy, Devin gains Noah's mark as a sign of connection and fatherly love.—Lamont Lamar