Palm Trees and Power Lines

Lea, a 17-year-old girl, spends her last weeks of summer hanging out with her best friend Amber and their group of friends at various locations in suburban Southern California. She has casual relationships with boys her age, including Jared, but finds these hookups unsatisfying. Her relationship with her mother, Sandra, is strained and emotionally distant.

While dining with friends, Lea notices an older man who winks at her as he leaves. She hesitates to run after her friends and later gets accosted by a cook, but the man intervenes and helps her escape. The man, Tom, later drives alongside her and offers her a ride home, introducing himself as a 34-year-old with his contact info.

Lea is charmed by Tom and shares with Amber that she has met someone. She begins confiding in him about her strained relationship with her mother and her feelings of loneliness. Tom is sympathetic and claims to run a small home repair business, which he says gives him freedom.

Lea and Tom become romantically involved, and she agrees to spend the night with him. They stay at a motel, where Tom leaves briefly to attend a domestic dispute. Lea senses something is wrong, but Tom dismisses her concerns, claiming he's helping a neighbor in trouble.

During a day at the beach with Tom, Lea is spotted by a school friend. Tom introduces himself to her, and Lea asks him not to tell anyone about their relationship. Tom tells her she is 'mine', reinforcing his possessiveness and control over her.

While dining out, a waitress notices Lea's unease and secretly warns her that Tom has been seen with other young girls. She advises Lea that if she needs help, she can get away. Tom returns and dismisses the concerns, claiming mistaken identity.

After Jared mocks her and Amber reveals her secret, Lea becomes distraught and visits Tom at his motel. He comforts her, professes love, and gives her a bracelet. He then asks her to go on vacation with him, which she agrees to eagerly.

At a hotel, Tom asks Lea to sleep with another man for money, claiming she loves him. Coerced into sex with a middle-aged man, Lea becomes emotional and tries to leave. Tom catches her before she can escape, showing his controlling nature.

Lea leaves the hotel after realizing she is in danger, calling Amber for help. She tearfully escapes to her friend's house, where she is comforted and begins to reconnect with her mother. She starts attempting to move past the trauma, focusing on safer relationships.

Lea tries to contact Tom after his disappearance, but his number is disconnected. She visits the motel and learns from a tenant that Tom has gone. Heartbroken, she calls him on the phone, sobbing and asking why he left her, ending with her affirmations of love and hope for reconciliation.

The film concludes with Lea expressing her feelings for Tom, smiling after hearing his loving responses on the phone. Despite the pain, she remains hopeful that their connection still exists, emphasizing her emotional vulnerability and desire for love and acceptance.