Penelope feels like she is being left behind. While most of her graduating class is pursuing college and university degrees, Penelope spends her days waitressing or cleaning up at the hair salon. She longs for more than life in small-town Hartford and finds inspiration in the random purchase of a short story at the local bookshop. As she becomes a participant in the journey of the unlikely hero, she wonders if she is strong enough to overcome the obstacles in her own path and make her dreams come true.