Free-spirited 15-year-old Connie Wyatt is too young to drive, but not too young to drive the boys crazy. She also wants to escape the boredom of family farm life. Her suspicious mother wants to keep her safely at home, but she wants to while away the languid summer days hanging out with her friends and flirting with boys at the local burger stand. But when she flirts with a mysterious, handsome stranger named Arnold Friend, she finds herself in danger and must prepare herself for the frightening, traumatic consequences. Based on the short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates.