Meg is a high school senior residing in the Dayton, Ohio area, utilizing her passion for writing to cope with her troubled family dynamics. Having been abandoned by her father and feeling the neglect from her mother, Diane, whose demanding job forces Meg into the role of caretaker for her younger sister Lily, she finds herself in a financially strained situation due to her father's failure to pay child support. After sharing her heartfelt poem titled "Blue Car" in English class, Mr. Auster, her teacher, acknowledges her talent and becomes a supportive mentor, guiding her to enter a local poetry competition where she triumphs. Empowered by his encouragement, he suggests she take her talents to the national competition in Florida during spring break.
Unfortunately, Meg's home life takes a darker turn as Lily exhibits alarming emotional distress. Struggling with her own issues, Lily becomes withdrawn, engages in self-harm, stops eating, and starts expressing a desire to "become an angel." Tragedy strikes when Lily, after being hospitalized, takes her own life by jumping out of a window in an impulsive act to "fly." In the wake of her sister's death, Meg seeks comfort in Mr. Auster, who shares his own sorrow of having lost a son. During their poetry sessions, he reveals he is working on a novel, adding a layer of connection between the two.
As financial constraints mount, Diane informs Meg she cannot afford her Florida trip, prompting Meg to resort to theft. This choice leads to her dismissal from her after-school job and ultimately her decision to move in with her friend, Georgia. There, she meets Georgia’s older brother, Pat, who offers to help her earn money by stealing prescription drugs. Meg makes the poor decision to participate, only to discover the next day that Pat has vanished with the stolen cash.
Determined to compete, Meg embarks on a bus journey to Florida, where she finds herself sleeping on the beach. The day before the competition, she unexpectedly encounters Mr. Auster and his family. Delia, his wife, extends an invitation to join them, during which she subtly hints at issues in their marriage. A vulnerable moment on the beach leads to a kiss between Meg and Mr. Auster. They eventually retreat to a hotel room, but Meg's discomfort prompts him to halt their encounter, a moment laden with complexity as she learns that the novel he claimed to be writing was merely a facade.
The following day at the competition, Meg shocks the audience by leaving her original poem on the chair and reciting a new piece that cautiously criticizes Mr. Auster for his overreach of authority and manipulation. As Mr. Auster and his wife shift uncomfortably in their seats, Meg resolves to shed the weight of her past by casting her old poem into the ocean. Upon her return to Ohio, she seeks an emotional reunion with Diane, where gestures of reconciliation occur through the sharing of wedding photographs. Ultimately, Meg's journey leads her to a new beginning as she climbs into a blue car with her father, driving away together toward an uncertain future.
