After a perfect summer, perky Carolyn McDuffy returns to Southern California State University for her senior year. Determined to make this the year that their arch rivals--the Tri-Omegas--are unseated as Sorority of the Year, Carolyn's sorority, Alpha Omega Pi, develops a well-ordered plan. It includes pleasing the Greek council by picking a "killer" charity: coaching mentally challenged athletes for the regional Challenged games. Enter Pumpkin, the wheelchair-bound discus thrower assigned to Carolyn for training. Far from the comfortable stucco walls of Pasadena, Carolyn is at first made queasy by this brush with imperfection, but as she looks into Pumpkin's doe-like eyes she is confused by her feelings for him. Carolyn soon sees in him something she's never seen before: a gentle humanity and honest clarity that touches her soul. To the horror of her friends and Pumpkin's overprotective mother, Carolyn falls in love with him, becoming an outcast in the process. As Carolyn's "perfect life" falls apart, Pumpkin teaches her that perfection isn't always perfect.