It is 1993, the last year of school and Laurie's final spring before adulthood. She works part time at a restaurant and looks after Cindy, her neglected potty-mouthed little neighbor. Like her mother, Laurie devours books and dreams big. Her father works at a garage, where she constantly struggles to keep her car running. It is here that a budding romance intensifies her understanding of class differences and opens her eyes to a more complicated world. With her big heart, she takes Cindy globe-trotting without even leaving town and learns how to come to terms with circumstances beyond her control.