Andrea Marr is a bright, straight-A, mature, 18-year-old high school senior on the verge of womanhood who decides to abandon her sheltered, boring lifestyle and her bookish friend Darcy for a look into the local rock and roll scene as a groupie to local rock singer Tod Sparrow and learn more about the life of one who follows a touring band along with her new friends aspiring rock star wannabee Cybil, outgoing fellow groupie Rebecca, and music critic Kevin.
An academic obsessed with "roadside attractions" and his tv-star daughter finally discover the world's largest ice cream cone, the centerpiece for an old gold-rush town struggling to stay on the map. They end up staying longer than expected because of an accident that spilled an unknown cola ingredient all over the highway. They spend the next few days with the various residents of the town which include a teenage girl who loves to blow things up and a boy trying to keep alive his fathers dream of building a beachside resort in the middle of the desert.