A new student named Janey Glenn stands before her classmates at an all-girls Catholic high school. She nervously reveals that she has lived around the world, as her now retired father, Col. Glenn, was in the Army. Janey loves to dance and is excited about her move to Chicago, Illinois, where they shoot her favorite television show, “Dance TV” (DTV). On the school bus, Janey meets Lynne Stone, a rebellious classmate, who transforms her uniform into a stylish outfit by turning it inside out. Lynne invites Janey to join her at a babysitting job so Janey will not miss the beginning of DTV. The girls both love the show, and when it is announced that DTV is auditioning a new dance couple, they plan to compete. When her strict father forbids her from going, Janey sneaks away and meets Lynn at the audition. While Janey performs gymnastics and impresses the judges, Lynne is knocked down by her dance partner, and eliminated from the competition. Selected as a finalist, Janey is paired with a dancer named Jeff Malene for the on-camera finals. When Lynne learns that a rival dancer, Natalie, sabotaged her audition, she vows revenge. Later, Jeff Malene telephones Janey to set up a rehearsal, but she fails to appear. The next day, Lynne orchestrates a distraction at school so Janey can sneak out to meet Jeff. While rehearsing, their rival competitor, Natalie, spies on them and learns that Janey is a truant. Posing as a nun, Natalie calls Janey’s father and reports her absence. Meanwhile, rehearsals do not go well for Jeff and Janey. Natalie flirts with Jeff outside, and invites him to her debutante ball. Returning home with Lynne, Janey’s little brother, Zach, informs her that “Sister Natalie” called and reported her truancy to their father. Lynne concocts a story to help her friend avoid punishment. Later, the girls learn of Natalie’s invitation-only country club party, and take their revenge, making copies of the invitation and distributing them to juvenile delinquents around town. That night, Natalie’s party is ruined when groups of wild teenagers crash the scene. Mayhem ensues, and Jeff is impressed to learn that Janey is the mastermind behind the invasion, and Natalie vows vengeance. Sometime later, Janey sneaks out to meet Jeff for another rehearsal, at a local dance club. When a club goer tries to seduce Janey, Jeff punches him. The couple escapes on Jeff’s motorcycle and Janey kisses her partner. Their dance rehearsals continue over the next week, while Janey continues to lie to her father and sneak away at night. Natalie asks her wealthy father, J.P. Sands, to help her win the contest and exact revenge. In turn, Sands corners Jeff and threatens to fire his father, who works at one of his factories. Later, at rehearsal, Jeff yells at Janey and quits without explanation. When Janey creeps back to her bedroom, she sets off an alarm that her father recently installed, and is prohibited from going out again. Meanwhile, Jeff tells his father of Sands’s threats, but Mr. Malene encourages his son to remain in the competition. The day of the finals, Zach tells his sister that Jeff is going to dance after all, and Janey sneaks out to meet him with Lynne’s help. They race to the DTV studio just in time for the show. Back at home, Janey’s parents turn on their television to see Janey on DTV, prompting Col. Glenn to drive to the studio. Meanwhile, a tie is declared between Jeff and Janey, and Natalie and her partner. A dance-off ensues. Janey’s father arrives to see his daughter dancing and the judges declare Jeff and Janey the winners. As her father cheers, Janey offers him a salute. When the show’s host summons Rikki, Miss Dance TV, to the stage, she quits the show backstage and fails to come on camera. Lynne seizes the opportunity to take her place. Riding onstage in a horse-drawn cart, she is declared the “new Miss Dance TV.” Elsewhere, Natalie whines to her unsympathetic father. Janey and Lynne embrace and congratulate each other.