Female Trouble

In 1960 Baltimore, Dawn Davenport erupts when her parents refuse to buy her cha-cha heels. She smashes the presents, topples the Christmas tree, and storms out of the house. Her impulsive start foreshadows a life ruled by wild choices.

Dawn hitches a ride with a repulsive man, Earl Peterson, who drives her to a dump. There they have sex on a discarded mattress, and she becomes pregnant. The encounter marks the beginning of a troubled, unstable relationship that shapes her future.

Dawn gives birth to her daughter Taffy. She subjects Taffy to harsh discipline and frequent punishment as they both struggle to survive. The child grows up amid fear, neglect, and Dawn's escalating cycle of crime.

Dawn takes on a string of dead end jobs, from waitress to stripper, while also slipping into burglary and street prostitution. She partners with her former high school friends Concetta and Chicklette to widen her criminal activities. The line between work and crime blurs as opportunities for fame and money pull her deeper in.

Dawn becomes a regular at the Lipstick Beauty Salon and marries Gater Nelson, her hairdresser neighbor. The salon circle becomes a staging ground for her evolving persona and ambitions. The marriage pulls her further into the Dashers' social orbit.

Donald and Donna Dasher recruit Dawn into an artistic project that treats crime as performance. They promise fame and photograph her crimes to feed her vanity. Dawn agrees, blurring the line between artistry and criminal act.

Ida Nelson, Gater's aunt, retaliates after the marriage fails and throws acid in Dawn's face. The disfigurement leaves Dawn hideously scarred and dependent on others for support. The Dashers urge her to embrace a new image rather than pursue cosmetic surgery.

With Dawn now their kept asset, the Dashers redecorate her life and imprison Ida in a large birdcage as a cruel gift. They hand Dawn an axe and push her toward harming Ida as revenge. The power dynamic tightens and Dawn realizes she has become a tool for others' vengeance.

Taffy, now a teenager, is disturbed by her mother's criminal world and attempts to locate her father. She discovers him living in squalor and drunk, and stabs him to death when he tries to molest her. She returns home, falsely claiming she could not locate him and announces an affinity for Hare Krishna.

Dawn mounts a nightclub act featuring bizarre hair and outfits, a trampoline routine, and provocative stunts. Taffy appears backstage in religious attire, and Dawn fulfills her threat by strangling her. The show escalates into a violent spectacle meant to shock the crowd.

Dawn brandishes a gun and fires into the audience, wounding and killing several spectators. Police arrive to subdue the chaos but the Dashers are allowed to leave by posing as upright citizens. Dawn flees into a forest and is eventually captured by the authorities.

In court, the Dashers testify and are granted immunity in exchange for their testimony. Dawn is unable to mount a successful insanity defense and is found guilty of murder. She is sentenced to die in the electric chair.

Dawn says goodbye to her fellow inmate Earnestine and is escorted to the electric chair. She delivers a flamboyant final speech to an imaginary audience as if accepting an award, and is then executed. The narrative closes on the stark cost of her sensationalized life.