Orphan Mary Katherine Gallagher, an ugly duckling at St. Monica High School, has a dream: to be kissed soulfully. She decides she can realize this dream if she becomes a superstar, so her prayers, her fantasies, and her conversations with her only friend focus on achieving super-stardom. Her big chance is a school talent contest; her main competition is Evian, the school beauty, who is dancing with Sky, the object of Mary Katherine's kiss dream. Mary Katherine gets some talent-show help from her fellow special education students, her grandma, and Jesus, and inspiration from secrets in her past. Watching are Sky, Evian, and a silent classmate.