In the early 1950s, a star-struck Ohio boy, Artie Shoemaker, skips school to work behind the scenes for a touring stock theatrical company.
Inept at his job, Artie is nearly fired until the star of the show, Harry Crystal, takes a liking to him and takes the kid under his wing. Artie becomes smitten with one of the attractive chorus girls from the show, Ramona, a worldly young woman who provides his sexual initiation. But soon the show must move on to another town, leaving Artie alone with his dreams.