| Director | John Stockwell |
|---|---|
| Budget | $13 million |
| Box office | $19.9 million |
Carlos Nuñez is a 17-year-old Mexican-American teen from East LA who rides a bus two hours every day to attend school in the Pacific Palisades for a better education. A straight-A student, he hopes to attend the U.S. Naval Academy and become a pilot.
On a day out with friends at the Santa Monica Pier, Carlos meets Nicole Oakley, a classmate who is doing trash pickup at the beach as part of a DUI sentence. She is the daughter of a US congressman and lives in the upscale Palisades, but she is rebellious, hard-partying, and has a strained relationship with her father. Nicole's troubles stem from her mother's suicide when she was young, as well as the feeling of being unwanted by her father and his new wife. Despite their differences, Nicole and Carlos begin a romantic relationship.
The romance runs into obstacles that arise from their different backgrounds, as when Carlos invites Nicole to a family party and she feels out-of-place as the only white person there. She pulls a stunt that lands them both in detention; and when she tells him to lighten up, he angrily points out that she does not appreciate the privileges she has. Despite the obstacles, their relationship blossoms. Carlos tries to steer Nicole away from her drug and alcohol abuse, and she arranges a flying lesson for him, who dreams of being a pilot but has never been in a plane.
Nicole's father offers to help Carlos with his Congressional sponsorship to the Naval Academy, but cautions against dating his daughter because he does not want to see him dragged down by her. Carlos's friends and family also look down on the relationship, fearing Nicole is a bad influence on him.
Feeling pressure from other peoples' expectations, Carlos breaks up with Nicole, sending her spiraling back into wild, drunken partying. One night, Carlos calls her and finds out she is getting drunk at a high school party. He goes to the party and saves her from a boy trying to take advantage of her. He drives her home, but they are stopped by the police.
As a result of this incident, Nicole's father and stepmother decide that she needs to go to a boarding school far from home. Carlos rescues Nicole and they run away together. While they are away, Nicole realizes she is obstructing Carlos's dreams, so decides it is time to face her problems so she can be better for Carlos and have a future with him. They return to her home, where Nicole not only defies her stepmother's orders, but also makes up with her father, who thanks Carlos for not listening to his advice to abandon her. As the film ends, Carlos is shown becoming a pilot with the United States Navy.