The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates tells the story of two Black men with the same name: Wes Moore. Both men grew up enduring similar hardships, but Moore, the author and narrator, was encouraged to overcome these difficulties and became successful, while Wes, his counterpart, found himself sentenced to life in prison for murder. Moore learns about Wes and, fascinated, writes him a letter, hoping to find out more about what led Wes to a life of incarceration. Moore receives a response from Wes and begins to visit him in prison, where the two share their stories.

In the first section of the book, the two men discuss the impact that the absence of their fathers had on their lives, and their stories alternate in each chapter. Moore introduces his mother, Joy; father, Westley; and sisters, Nikki and Shani. He details how his parents met and describes his father’s job as a radio journalist. When Moore was three years old, he watched his father become sick and die in front of him. 

Meanwhile, young Wes has never met his father, Bernard, who was an alcoholic, but loved spending time with his father’s mother, Mamie. One day, Wes’s mother, Mary, learns that her funding to go to college has been taken away, and her dream to get her degree crumbles. That night, Mary has plans with friends, so she drops young Wes off at Mamie’s for the night. When Wes arrives at Mamie’s, he sees a drunk man—Bernard—on Mamie’s couch. When Bernard asks Mary who the kid is, Mary introduces Wes to his father.

Several years later, Wes and his friend Woody go the park, where they meet up with a group of boys to play football. The game turns aggressive, and another boy punches Wes. Wes runs home and grabs a knife. He returns to the park and runs after the boy, but the police arrive and arrest Wes. He is eight years old. 

Around this time, Moore’s widowed mother, Joy, unable to raise her children alone any longer, has moved her family to the Bronx to live with her parents. To keep Moore off the street, she sends Moore to Riverdale, a private school. She works three jobs to pay the tuition. Moore feels alienated. He doesn’t fit in at Riverdale, and the neighborhood kids tease him for attending a white school. When Moore’s grades slip, Joy threatens to send him to military school. 

Wes admires and envies his older brother Tony. Tony is very protective of Wes. Tony deals drugs, has a formidable reputation, and always seems to wear expensive, stylish clothes. Hoping to earn money like Tony, Wes becomes a lookout for a local drug dealer. He later starts dealing drugs himself.

In the next section of the book, Moore and Wes discuss maturity and second chances. Once again, their stories alternate in each chapter. At age fifteen, Wes makes his money selling drugs. When Tony asks Wes how he can afford so many pairs of sneakers, Wes lies and says he works as a DJ. Tony knows he’s being dishonest, attacks him, and then tells Mary that Wes sells drugs. Mary finds drugs in Wes’s room and flushes them down the toilet. Wes feels angry about the situation but vows to make up the $4,000 he lost. 

In the Bronx, Moore continues to do poorly in school. The police catch him tagging a building with his friend Shea, who has started running drugs. Shea is obstinate toward the police, but Moore feels terrified. The police let the boys off with a warning. A year later, Moore finds himself on academic probation at Riverdale, so Joy sends him to military school. At first, Moore displays an attitude and defies his commander, Sergeant Anderson. At one point, Anderson gives Moore a map with directions to the nearest bus station, encouraging Moore to leave. The directions are fake, however, and Moore becomes lost in the woods. When Anderson finds Moore in the woods, he brings him to Colonel Batt, who allows Moore to call home for five minutes. The next day, Moore is impressed by the discipline of F Company, and Colonel Batt suggests he talks to its commander, Cadet Captain Ty Hill.

In Maryland, Wes meets Alicia, who quickly becomes pregnant. Wes soon begins dating a new girl, however, and one night, as the girl leaves Wes’s apartment, her boyfriend, Ray, is waiting outside. Ray yells at the girl and attacks Wes, who runs inside and grabs a gun. Wes and some of his crew chase Ray and shoot him. Wes is arrested soon after. He spends six months in juvenile detention for the crime.

Three years later, Wes has dropped out of school and is selling drugs full-time. One day, a suspicious man approaches Wes, asking for drugs. Wes turns the man away at first but then decides to take a chance. However, the man is an undercover cop, and Wes is arrested again. 

Meanwhile, Moore thrives in military school, where he wins academic and athletic scholarships. One day, Moore and a friend walk into town for food. While they are walking, a group of boys in a car accost them, shout racial slurs, and hit Moore in the head with a bottle. Moore and his friend find their way back to campus through the same woods where Moore once got lost. He reflects on how much has changed for him over the past few years.

In the third section of the book, Moore and Wes discuss how other people’s expectations have shaped their lives. While in a plane during his paratrooper training, Moore contemplates how much his life has changed and considers how he now sees every moment of life as precious. 

In Baltimore, Wes, now the father of four, tries to change his life and goes to Job Corps for vocational training. There, he is encouraged by his teachers and peers and finds success. However, after graduating, Wes struggles to pay his bills and turns to selling drugs again.

Three years later, Wes and Tony rob a jewelry store. As they escape, one of them shoots and kills the security guard, Sergeant Prothero. The police find and arrest them in Philadelphia. Tony pleads guilty and receives a life sentence. Wes pleads innocent and goes to trial, where he is convicted and also sentenced to life in prison. 

During this time, Moore works as an intern for Baltimore’s Mayor Schmoke, who encourages Moore to apply for a Rhodes Scholarship. Moore receives a grant and spends a semester in South Africa, where he witnesses true poverty and the impact of apartheid. At the same time, Moore learns how young Black men in South Africa are encouraged and celebrated, rather than feared, and decides to dedicate himself to a life of service.