"She does all the wrong things. For all the right reasons. Which may explain her crimes. Which may explain the terms of her probation. She is serious, smart and struggling. Her world-weary sense of humor barely conceals the insecurity, the sensitivity, the fact she's only eighteen. Born to be a dancer, she is poetry in motion. Her physique, sleek and agile, is crowned by a pretty face -- "prettier," as the song goes, "if she smiled once in a while." No time for that, though. Not at The Royal Oak Ballet Company, where the door only opens to a chosen few and bodies are pushed to the limit.
She enters with undeniable gifts. But the other dancers notice her vintage, wrong-side-of-the-tracks attire. The jealous prima donna with killer instincts, notices. A fellow dancer, smitten at first sight, notices. And she notices them noticing. Still, she shines. To a point. The intimidating director points out she's all technique, no soul, no feeling. And any bluesman or bebop musician will tell you: knowing the notes ain't enough. So, how to fit in? With the best intentions, a little-known tale about Balanchine and a little shoplifting. Before you know it, she's in the back of a squad car.
A judge issues a plan: To find the soul to go along with the notes, she must volunteer in the most unexpected place: The Woodland Dance Studio, an extraordinary program for disabled young people. Along the way, a wild probation officer, a corrupt politician, a social worker from hell, a blithe spirit with wisdom to burn, a ballet legend on a mission, the coolest mom in the history of mom-hood and her mix of 1960's counter-culture leftovers, more than a few artful dodges, laughter and loss, harmonic convergence of the Small World variety, first love, and a very special heart-shaped locket all turn her world upside down. Her realization? She's missed the forest for the trees. And, when the budget axe falls and the politics get dirty, she springs into action and orchestrates the performance of a lifetime. She digs a deeper hole. She entertains law enforcement, again. And no one will ever be the same."