Pumpkin

Carolyn McDuffy begins her final year of college at a Southern California university. She aims to help her sorority win the coveted Challenged Games award by guiding a team of handicapped young adults. The setup establishes her ambitions and the social pressures she will face.

She joins the sorority's training program for handicapped young adults and begins working with the team. Carolyn starts to learn their talents and challenges, and her perspective shifts. The effort also introduces the social dynamics of the sorority environment.

Carolyn is paired with Jesse 'Pumpkin' Romanoff. She is initially horrified by the circumstances of his life, yet Pumpkin's kindness gradually wins her over. Over time she finds herself developing genuine affection.

As Carolyn's feelings deepen, she faces disdain from friends and family who do not approve of her relationship with Pumpkin. The sorority leadership also pressures her, complicating her social standing. The conflict foreshadows the personal and public backlash to come.

Pumpkin's mother, Judy, walks into her son's room and discovers Carolyn and Pumpkin together. The discovery intensifies the antagonism from Pumpkin's family and increases Carolyn's isolation. It becomes a catalyst for the later accusations and consequences.

Judy accuses Carolyn of raping Pumpkin and notifies the college. As a result, Carolyn is expelled from the university and kicked out of the sorority. The rapid consequences destabilize Carolyn's plans for the future and test her resolve.

Devastated by the consequences, Carolyn makes a suicide attempt by taking pills from her medicine cabinet. She vomits the pills and survives, realizing the depth of her pain and isolation. The incident becomes a wake-up call that shifts the story's trajectory.

Hearing of the attempt, the sorority convinces the university to reinstate Carolyn. She is encouraged to attend the sorority ball with Kent, setting up a pivotal confrontation and reconciliation moment. The ball becomes a stage for old grievances to resurface.

At the sorority ball, Pumpkin and his friends crash the party to dance with Carolyn, challenging the social order of the evening. Kent confronts Pumpkin and punches him, who responds by tackling Kent and knocking him unconscious. The dramatic clash raises the stakes for everyone involved.

Carolyn and Pumpkin manage to dance together after a tense moment. The door is initially blocked by Julie and the sorority sisters, but other attendees soon join, turning the moment into a shared celebration of the unlikely couple. The scene marks a turning point in Carolyn's acceptance by Pumpkin's world.

Kent leaves the dance in his car and drives away in distress. He swerves to avoid a truck, plunges off a cliff, and the car explodes in mid-air before crashing to the bottom. The accident rewrites everyone’s futures in a single, devastating moment.

Carolyn visits the hospital and learns that Kent is now paraplegic, though unburned. Kent blames Carolyn for his misfortune, deepening her guilt and sense of responsibility. The emotional fallout rocks Carolyn's already fragile self-image.

Carolyn decides to leave her previous life behind and enrolls at a public university, seeking a fresh start and supportive peers. Meanwhile, the sorority ceases to support Pumpkin's team, allowing their rival sorority to win. The shift marks a significant change in her social circle.

The sorority sisters have a change of heart and attend the Olympic event. Kent steps in as Pumpkin's coach, providing motivation and strategic direction. The team feels renewed energy under Kent's mentorship as they prepare to race.

Pumpkin races against his rival and wins the Challenged Games event, receiving congratulations from the sorority sisters, his mother, and Kent. Carolyn moves through the stands with a mix of pride and unresolved emotions as she watches him. The victory marks a fragile reconciliation among the different worlds in the story.