'The Watermelon Woman' was the name given to the mythical Fae Richards, a beautiful yet elusive black Actress from the 1930's. br br In all her films, it was her only billing, why should that be? It is a mystery that perplexes Cheryl (Cheryl Dunye), a young black film maker. She sets out to solve the mystery by making a documentary about this forgotten star, while finding romance along the way with a customer at her video store.