What's the real deal with my car?

it's a '95 Mercury Tracer Trio-1.9 liter 4 cylinder engine-won't pick up fuel no matter how the accelerator is applied. But when it does manage to push a little through, it spits, sputters, pops, misses, backfires, and goes dead. Seems the best it can do is hit on two of te four cylinders. I am female and know little about engines but I need to save as much money as possible on the repair job. Any advice will be welcomed and appreciated.