Josie Alibrandi (Pia Miranda) lives with her mum, Christina (Greta Scacchi), in the protective shadow of her Nonna, Katia (Elena Cotta) and in ignorance of the identity of her father, Michael (Anthony LaPaglia). She is 17 and about to face the biggest year of her life so far, finishing school. It should be enough that she has to cope with her weird Italian heritage and the fact that she's about to do her HSC exams as a scholarship student at an exclusive girls' school with high expectations of getting into university to study law. In this watershed year she discovers boys, tragedy and joy, the identity of her father, and, most of all, she begins to work out who she really is. Set against the background of Sydney, Australia, and its vibrant Italian-Australian community, this emotionally charged film follows a feisty heroine's struggle to balance the pressures of school, family and friends while, at the same time , coming to understand herself

A teenage Australian girl deals with the traumas of everyday life. These include her difficult relationship with her single mother, the unexpected return of her long-lost father, the disapproving nuns at her strict Catholic school, the acceptance of her schoolmates,and romantic dilemmas over two very different boys. Written by Phythian