Set in Shelbyville, Tennessee in 1978, the film centers on high school student Clancy Whitfield, whose family is facing financial ruin due to his father Billy's inability to hold a job because of his drinking. His mother Joan desperately is trying to make ends meet while their dining room furniture is Repossession and the bank is threatening to foreclosure on the house. She finds herself the subject of gossip but supported by Sally Crowder, her friend since childhood.