When Ellen returns to her hometown, Clark, to accept an achievement award, she discovers the town hasn't changed at all. Her sister Catherine is still involved with the wrong men; her mother keeps her room exactly the same as Ellen left it; her old high school teacher, Mr. Munn, is still teaching; and Rusty Carnouk, Ellen's prom date, still thinks he and Ellen might have a future together. Without warning, Ellen receives a phone call saying her L.A. dot-com company has gone bankrupt, and she does the last thing she thought she'd ever do — she stays in Clark.
