A Chicago teen struggles to bring reality into focus with her runaway dreams of achievement and deep resentment toward her mother. Linda Krajacik attends classes at the Art Institute; fantasizes about Hank, a fellow student, and her father, who died in Vietnam before she was born; and stalks her mother and step-father who married over her objections; finally taking refuge with Hank to sort it all out. In stream-of-consciousness style, McManus looks at life from the perspective of a troubled teenager trying to make sense of today's world.