Anna has faced a tough stretch: she’s been rejected by her college, her girlfriend has ended things, and her older sister is preparing to marry. In the midst of this upheaval, she meets Sadie, who invites her to join Clits In Action, or C(i)A, a radical Third-wave feminist group. As Anna leans into this new world, she discovers a political fire she hadn’t fully recognized before, and she starts participating in illegal activism that begins to color her daily life with a sharper, more provocative edge.
Anna soon finds herself drawn to Sadie on a personal level, while Sadie has long-standing ties to Courtney, a woman who works with a more mainstream feminist organization and who disagrees with C(i)A’s public-art approach, which often involves vandalism. The group sets out to protest a gay marriage, arguing not for or against it but for a larger critique of marriage as an inherently sexist institution. As tensions rise, a warning from another C(i)A member, Meat, that Sadie uses people rings true, yet Anna still spends a night of passion with Sadie while the group is in a hotel.
The next day at the rally, the group’s outspoken member Shulamith clashed with a protester, a clash that is captured by a local news crew. The resulting footage distorts the group’s message, painting them as violent and anti-gay. Compounding the turmoil, Meat reveals that their website—the supposed hub of their activism—has attracted no real outside attention, drawing into question the group’s digital footprint and reach.
C(i)A tries to organize a meeting at Courtney’s home, but personal conflicts pull at the threads of their unity. Anna fears that Sadie might walk away to be with her, yet Sadie remains dependent on Courtney. In the aftermath, Meat and Shulamith declare they’re stepping back from the group, while Sadie stays with Courtney. Aggie—a transgender man who is part of C(i)A—comforts Anna as she grapples with heartbreak and the fading sense of purpose that once bound the group. The four spend a night apart in a moment of uneasy separation, after which Aggie prepares breakfast and offers a small bouquet to Anna, who still regards him as a friend.
Sadie returns, and Anna explains that the night with Aggie meant nothing to her, though Aggie overhears and is deeply hurt. Sadie leaves, and Anna finds herself truly alone again. Seeking a path to national attention for C(i)A, Anna crafts a bold plan that Meat and Shulamith support, but only if she can repair things with Aggie first. Anna apologizes, Aggie forgives her, and the four—Anna, Aggie, Meat, and Shulamith—push ahead without Sadie.
Anna attends her sister’s wedding, bringing joy to her family, yet she slips away early to carry out her part of the plan with Aggie and Meat. On the talk show studio’s stage, Courtney appears to debate the celebratory anniversary of the Washington Monument, a spectacle that she sees as a distraction from genuine issues. When the host requests a live shot of the monument, the C(i)A broadcasts their own footage. With help from Shulamith’s lover and Calvin (a man who had been discharged from the military under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell for being a lesbian), and Meat’s talent with sculpture, a giant phallus is erected atop the Washington Monument and later blown off with explosives. Back in the studio, Aggie triggers the fire alarm, and the group makes a clean escape.
In the getaway car, Anna is surprised to find Sadie waiting, having finally ended things with Courtney. Sadie apologizes, and the two agree to stay friends, only to share a kiss. The epilogue reveals in text that Shulamith and Calvin volunteered to take the fall for the explosion and received reduced sentences since no one was hurt. Aggie has begun hormone therapy, started a new feminist group for men, and found a girlfriend. Meat’s sculpture appears on television and helps launch her art career, while Courtney pursues her own path with the talk-show host, Marcy, and later leaves her husband to move in with Courtney. Anna, now attending college, has created a group focused on positive body image called the Itty Bitty Titty Committee, and she and Sadie remain together as they forge a new, shared future.
