Five young girls are thrust into the Deerfield Ballet's holiday production of The Nutcracker with only one thing in common: they don't want to be there! McGee's busy with her ice hockey team. Zan would rather be reading a good mystery. Mary Bubnik is a total klutz. Gwen prefers Twinkies to plies. And Rocky is just too cool for pink tights. How could their mothers possibly think ballet is good for them? Cast as the Rats and labeled losers by the more serious ballerinas (the Bunheads), in desperation the girls turn to each other, especially after the Bunheads lock the Rats out of the theater. Can they triumph over all the odds and pull off a real ballet in front of an expectant audience? This comic tale of preteen misfits is a wise tribute to the power of friendship and the pleasure of being yourself.