Little Darling

The story unfolds in 1980, opening with a group of teenage girls heading to Camp Little Wolf, a summer camp dedicated to all-girls experiences. Among the newcomers are Angel Bright, a sharp, street-smart girl with a sense of grit, and Ferris Whitney, a romantic and somewhat naive girl from a privileged background. The two instantly clash on the bus ride to camp, and to their dismay they discover they will have to share a cabin. In that same space lives Cinder Carlson, an arrogant teen model who loves to boast about her sexual experiences. Cinder drops a bombshell that sets the central conflict in motion: Ferris and Angel are virgins, and a bold bet begins, pitting the two girls against each other as the rest of the cabin divides into two teams, cheerfully rooting for one side or the other.

The summer at Camp Little Wolf becomes a social game with higher stakes than anyone anticipated. The girls hatch a plan that blends mischief and audacity: they steal one of the camp buses and use it to slip away to a nearby gas station where they obtain condoms from the men’s room. This excursion gives Angel a new connection when she meets Randy, a boy from the camp across the lake, igniting a spark she decides could be the key to losing her virginity. Ferris, meanwhile, targets Gary Callahan, a much older camp counselor who represents a different kind of allure and fantasy. The pair’s attempts to cross lines are marred by caution and restraint: Angel begins sneaking out of camp to see Randy, sometimes trying to calm his nerves with alcohol, while Ferris makes concerted efforts to entice Gary, only to fall short.

During Parents’ Day, the fragile scaffolding of romance and family is confronted head-on. Ferris’s father reveals that he is divorcing her mother, an event that unsettles Ferris and shakes her faith in the romantic ideals she has been chasing. Angel receives a troubled message from her mother about sex, who suggests that sex might be “no big deal,” a comment that unsettles Angel’s own beliefs about intimacy and meaning. The tension around romance deepens as Ferris finally gathers the courage to tell Gary how she feels. She approaches his cabin and speaks in a way that invokes Romeo and Juliet, but Gary’s response is measured and grounded; he explains that he is “a teacher,” not “a prince.” The moment is significant, and the truth about their feelings becomes entangled with the rumor mill at camp.

The rumor mill intensifies when Ferris is pressured by the other girls and ends up lying about having had sex with Gary, a lie that threatens Gary’s job and stirs anxiety throughout the camp. Angel’s view of sex, shaped in part by her mother’s seemingly casual attitude, becomes complicated when she receives a chance to be with Randy in a boathouse. She is torn between desire and uncertainty, and her hesitation casts doubt on everything she had planned. Randy, sensing her reluctance, pulls back, leaving Angel in tears with the line, “But I like you!”

A few days later, the dynamic between Angel and Randy shifts, and they share a moment of connection that ends with them consummating their relationship. Yet the aftermath proves to be more complicated than Angel expected. She does not broadcast the experience to the camp, choosing instead to keep it private, which indirectly allows Ferris to maintain her standing in the bet for a time. The group’s energy turns against Cinder, who is called out for having sparked the whole bet in the first place. Some girls argue that it shouldn’t matter who is a virgin or not, while others lean into the competition with equal fervor.

Ferris, feeling the weight of the situation, comes clean to Gary and apologizes for the lie. She also confesses to the camp director, which helps to save Gary’s job and restore a sense of order to the camp’s fragile social ecosystem. When Randy finally seeks out Angel again, she reveals that she does like him, but she is not ready for a relationship. The camp’s atmosphere shifts as the truth emerges and the punishment or reward for honesty begins to take shape. By the end of the summer, Angel and Ferris discover a shared sense of kinship, recognizing that they are more alike than they had previously admitted. Their bond grows into a deep, lasting friendship as they head home to their respective families, carrying with them a new understanding of themselves and each other, and a fresh perspective on what it means to grow up, to desire, and to choose who they want to be.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:48