Ruth Ainsworth is a happy, confident teen living in Massachusetts in 1947. She has a strong circle of friends and a secure family, and she excels at her studies. She is full of optimism for her senior year, mostly because she's dating Rex Gardner, the star of the Hampden High School football team.
They start their last school year, and everything is going well for Ruth-until Rex suddenly breaks up with her and begins dating a junior cheerleader. Ruth is heartbroken, but she fights off the pain by focusing on school and the girls' basketball team. When Ruth meets Maurice Langlois, a French-speaking Canadian immigrant, he helps her forget about Rex. As their love grows, however, they realize they will soon be separated by hundreds of miles when they leave for college. Their attempt to resolve problems related to their separation gets even more complicated when Rex makes a surprising reappearance in Ruth's life. Will Ruth and Maurice's love for each other survive?