Patty strikes up a pen-pal relationship with an unknown admirer. Her friendship turns to dreams of idealistic romance as the letters become more poetic and lyrical. As a final touch, they are signed "Lancelot." What flesh and blood teenager could possibly match such competition.! The more letters that Patty receives, the more poetic her own letters become. Gradually her new-found love for poetry goes even beyond the point of letter-writing. She begins to see Richard's behavior and his extremely casual manner of dress in an unfavorable light. She starts to look down on his interest in such mundane matters as bowling, horror movies and ice cream soda. However, when Patty finally meets "Lancelot" she discovers that a book cannot be judged by its cover.