Will fifth grade be my best year ever? It's the summer of 1982 and Jenny Foster wonders about her future as she, once again, was moving to a brand-new school. This time, the family was trekking halfway across the country to a town an hour South of Chicago―dreadfully far from the East Coast, her relatives and best friend, Karen. The new girl once again, Jenny is quickly befriended by Liz, a straightforward, gangly-looking girl with acres of freckles. As Jenny digs in, she makes lists of the cute boys and observes the impossibly sophisticated Patty ―who seems to rule their class with just a snort. Eventually, Jenny is invited into Patty's world of Gloria Vanderbilt jeans, feathered hair, group roller skating dates and a pledge against all things "generic." She is torn between her friendship with loyal Liz and the exciting promise of popularity if she follows Patty-who sometimes can be scary. Can she stay true to herself and still have it all?