Plot

A smart, hardworking high school senior has been an outsider for almost 4 years. When a fellow loner moves to Due East, she finds herself in a relationship for the first time, leading to a small town scandal that changes her life forever.

The movie spotlights an intelligent high school senior and National Merit Scholar (Bryant) who has never been part of the "in crowd." She teaches a high school equivalency night class, tends to the needs of her widower father, Jesse (Forster), and pretty much stays to herself. But when she meets a loner who recently moved to the town of Due East, she feels a sense of belonging for the first time in her life.—Anonymous

Mary Faith Rapple (Clara Bryant) is a good girl and brilliant student. She lives in the sleepy town of Due East with her widowed father. Her boyfriend Michael Yaeger (Jesse Moss) has just taken charge of his brother's credit and motorbike. Mary Faith doesn't like riding motorbikes, so he leaves on his own. Soon afterwards, Mary Faith learns that Michael suffered a road accident and died. Her father Jesse (Robert Forster) has an argument with her concerning food. She then says that she may be pregnant. Everybody wants her to have an abortion, but Mary Faith doesn't know what to do. Zack Gold (Fred Keating) insults her and leaves in disgust because of the scandal which is about to happen. Lizann Gold (Lynda Boyd) tries to appease her husband.

Jesse has problems with his business, and is also going out with a woman. The headmaster, Mr Anderson (Stephen E. Miller) talks to Mary Faith about grants in Yale. Mary Faith wants to go away and have the baby somewhere else, but her father insists on her stay with him. He still feels suspicious about Stephen Dugan (Kavan Smith), but finally Mary Faith admits it was Michael's. Anderson expells Mary Faith, so that her options to get a grant are inexistant. Mary Faith writes a letter to the editor of the local newspaper, so that everybody knows about her plight. Reba (Katharine Isabelle) wasn't a friend of Mary Faith, she doesn't give a damn about her, but laughs when she reads the letter at the newspaper.

Michael's parents (Shaun Johnston & Wendy Chmelauskas) visit her with a letter for her from Michael, wanting to know whether the baby is Michael's. Anderson has to accept Mary Faith again: she can sit her exams and keep on giving classes to adults. Meanwhile, Jesse goes out with Nell Dugan (Cybill Shepherd) and asks her to marry him. She doesn't want the compromise. They split up, but at that moment Jesse has a kind of fit. Stephan goes with Mary Faith to hospital. He is recovering, but he suffered an anxiety attack.

Jesse and Nell reconcile. Mary Faith graduates with honours, everybody supports her -except for Anderson- and on her graduation day she gives birth. Becky Purdue (Kate Capshaw) takes her home. Mary Faith leaves Marlon with Michael's parents while she goes to university.