A small-town 1960s teenager believes that her dreams of becoming a famous singer will come true when her rock-star idol gets stranded in town.

A small-town teenager in the 1960s believes that her dreams of becoming a famous singer will come true when her rock-star idol gets stranded in her town. But a leak in a nearby chemical plant that is believed to be causing mass mutations threatens to turn her dream into a nightmare.

In 1963 small-town Canada, shy teenager Stepphy Holliday gets through her drab life looking after her alcoholic father George, and working at his service station when he's too wasted, by dreaming of becoming a famous singer. Despite her wallflower status, there are two young men who vie for her affections: her classmate Bennett, and young-adult Fabian who works as a project manager at the Purple Mist factory. With Bennett's help, Stepphy believes the best way to achieve stardom is to enter the American Ingenue Talent Competition. Making it into the first round on the strength of her audition tape, Stepphy, against George's wishes in not wanting her to abandon him, must make her way to New York City for the competition. She has a change of heart when her idol, singing film star Bobby Shore, and his manager Helmut get stranded in town with a broken-down car. She then devotes her energies to get Bobby to fall in love with her and be her entrance into showbusiness. Meanwhile, a chemical leak at Purple Mist could have unfortunate consequences for the townsfolk.—Huggo