Plot
14-year-old Amy Dustin starts high school in the fictional town of Tate, Oklahoma along with her two best friends, Kelly and Kimberly. At a school football game, Amy notices Pete Nash, the team coach who is also her biology teacher. Football is very glamorous and popular in this town and people look up to Coach Nash. Amy and Pete Nash immediately take a sudden interest in each other, and begin sending each other notes and talking on the phone, much to the dismay of her friends who find it inappropriate. Despite Pete having a wife and children, the two soon begin a secret relationship.
One afternoon, the school librarian sees them hugging in the library; she reports his behaviour to the school principal who quickly shrugs off her allegations, claiming Pete is simply a popular teacher. Amy becomes close with Pete's teenage daughter, Cassie, and, one night after going to a rock concert, Amy stays over at their house. During the night, Pete wakes Amy up and convinces her to sleep with him even though she is not ready, taking her virginity. Amy leaves the following morning, upset and confused, and tells no one. Her mother, Betty Ann, notices differences in her but puts it down to teenage hormones.
Amy alludes to what has been going on with Pete to her friends, but doesn't tell them everything. Kimberly worries about the relationship and reports it to the school; the principal dismisses her allegations also, believing she is just jealous of the attention Amy is getting. Meanwhile, Amy is pursued by fellow student and football player, Corey, who has a crush on her. He accompanies her to a school festival and they dance together, which Pete sees and he becomes infuriated. In front of a crowd of people, he drags Amy away from Corey and drives her out into the middle of nowhere, where he once again convinces her to sleep with him.
Days later, Amy attempts to end their relationship but Pete wins back her trust, claiming he loves her and is going to leave his wife. Norm is later informed about the incident at the festival. He angrily confronts Pete, who claims he sees Amy as his own daughter and was merely looking out for her best interests because Corey has a bad reputation with girls.
While on a camping trip, Kelly catches Pete and Amy kissing during the night. Back at home, Betty Ann finds a love letter from Pete in Amy's room and reports it to the principal. Both Amy and Pete deny an affair, and Amy finally decides to break it off for good, finding herself more and more controlled by Pete who has become possessive and irrational. Amy eventually admits everything to her parents and Pete is arrested. He receives a jail sentence of five months as well as a 10-year probation.
Betty Ann decides to sue the school due to them not acting on several allegations. Amy's classmates begin acting hostile towards her after Pete is suspended from his job before an important football game. She also falls out with her friends, and the Dustin family home is later vandalised. Amy considers dropping the case because she fears the aftermath will not be worth it, but eventually decides to go through with it, realising she was groomed as Amy is declared an adult by the judge. She tells her parents she does not want someone else to go through it. Meanwhile, a former colleague and friend of Pete's visits him in prison. Pete begs him to give Amy a note, which disgusts the friend, who tells him, "That’s not how you love a child."
Amy and her family continue to work with their lawyers who think they have a successful case against the school board, and Amy begins to rebuild her life. The film ends with Betty Ann and Amy hugging in the car on the drive home; Betty Ann calls Amy her hero, and their estranged relationship is lovingly restored. The Dustin family go on to win the case.
