Two very different young girls meet on a beach in a 1950s American resort. CC Bloom (Bette Midler) is a brash, confident minx determined to make it in the glitzy world of show business. Hillary (Barbara Hershey) is a wealthy, restrained and privileged WASP, who seems destined for a life as a trophy wife. Against all odds, their friendship survives, through broken marriages, diverging careers and the trials of life.