Plot

An inexperienced yet naturally gifted ice skater makes a spectacular debut in the skating world before encountering an event that could possibly derail her hopes and dreams.

16-year-old Alexis Winston is a talented but untrained figure skater from the small town of Waverly, Iowa. A prominent coach sees her skate in a regional competition and wants to train her. Lexie's father is convinced to allow her to leave with the coach to an important competition in the city. There Lexie is exposed to a different world. She becomes a sensation in the skating community and falls for a television sportscaster. One evening while practicing, Lexis suffers a terrible accident that takes her sight and threatens to destroy her dreams. Abandoned by all her fairweather friends, Lexie goes home to rebuild her life. Bitter and angry, she initially refuses to leave her room. Gradually, her father, devoted boyfriend and former coach help her realize that she can still fulfill her dreams.—Heather Niles

Sixteen year old Lexie Winston, from the small town of Waverly, Iowa, is a gifted figure skater who does it because she loves it. She is coached locally by her friend Beulah Smith, the proprietress of the local run down bowling alley combination ice rink. Beulah was a regional champion in her own figure skating days twenty years ago, she who realizes that she can only teach Lexie so much compared to world class coaches. Believing Lexie has what it takes, Beulah tries to convince Lexie's widowed father, Marcus Winston, to allow Lexie to skate competitively for the first time at the Upper Great Lakes regionals. Marcus, who has always resisted getting Lexie into competitive skating because of the pressures and what he considers the unrealistic expectations, reluctantly agrees. At the regionals, Lexie catches the eye of world class coach Deborah Machland, who wants to train Lexie and believes Lexie can win at the Olympics in three years despite her lack of formal training up to this point and Lexie's advanced age. Lexie also catches the eye of Brian Dockett, a sports reporter, who is not only doing an extended piece on her expected speedy trajectory to the top of the figure skating world but who has a romantic interest in her. As Lexie gets thrown into the cutthroat world of competitive skating, which includes narrow minded judges who have a preconceived notion of who should win, intimidation tactics by and against other skaters, and coaches who have a win at all cost mentality, she also gets caught up in the fame and adulation. Her long time boyfriend, Nick Peterson, who is going through his own crisis of identity, feels like he is losing her, both figuratively and literally, to this new world. But when her figure skating life is in jeopardy, Lexie has to muster up the courage to decide what to do regardless of the obstacles. In the process, she finds out who her true supports in life are.—Huggo

Alexis "Lexie" Winston (Lynn-Holly Johnson) is a sixteen-year-old girl from Waverly, Iowa, who dreams of becoming a champion figure skater. Her boyfriend, Nick Peterson (Robbie Benson), dreams of being a hockey player.

Coached by family friend and former skater Beulah Smith (Colleen Dewhurst), Lexie enters a regional championship over her father's protests. There she is discovered by an elite coach (Jennifer Warren) who sees her potential despite a lack of training and a relatively advanced age for figure skaters. Over her father's objections, Lexie moved from her home in Waverly, Iowa to train at the legendary Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She becomes unpopular with the other female figure skaters in training because of the attention lavished on her natural talent and the media attention her coach obtains for her in an effort to make her known to the skating world. Lexie proves and enhances her skating abilities and qualifies for the senior championship level, her life changing drastically in the process. She becomes a star, alienates her boyfriend and begins dating an older man, television broadcaster Brian Dockett (David Huffman), following her training.

Becoming uncomfortable with the direction her life is taking, Lexie leaves a party for skating sponsors and goes down to the outdoor rink nearby to skate. Her coach and the partygoers notice her and are watching through the windows as Lexie skates. She attempts a difficult triple jump, but lands off the ice onto a set of tables and chairs that are chained together near the edge of the rink. Lexie suffers a serious head injury, with a blood clot in her brain robbing her of her eyesight and leaving her able to see only lights and blurry shapes. The doctor is uncertain in case her injury will be permanent.

Abandoned by all her fairweather friends, Lexie goes home and becomes a recluse. Resenting her affair with Brian, Nick demands that she get out of the house and back on the ice. Despite their mutual resentment and Lexie's depression, they work through their estrangement and rediscover their love for each other. With help from Nick, her father Marcus (Tom Skerritt) and Beulah, Lexie begins to believe she can still fulfill her dreams. Though virtually blind, she can still see the boards at the edge of the rink, and so learns how to skate around her disability. Lexie enrolls in the sectional championship and competes once again. She presents a flawless, beautiful program that provokes an enthusiastic standing ovation from the crowd. However, her disability is revealed when she trips over the roses, thrown onto the ice by adoring fans after her performance, and falls to the ice. Nick rushes to her side and says, "We forgot about the flowers," as the crowd realizes that Lexie has not recovered from her injuries but has risen above them.