Plot
Chicago natives Ren McCormack and his mother Ethel move to the small town of Bomont, Utah, to live with Ren's aunt and uncle. At church he meets the strict Reverend Shaw Moore, his wife Vi, and their carefree rebellious daughter Ariel.
At school Ren befriends Willard Hewitt. He learns that the town council has banned dancing and rock music within the town boundary, though Reverend Moore's influence stretches beyond Bomont. He even gets fined by the police for having his music up too loud. Ren falls for Ariel, angering her boyfriend Chuck Cranston, who challenges Ren to a game of chicken involving tractors; Ren wins when his shoelace gets caught on the tractor's pedal, preventing him from jumping away.
Seeing Ren as a bad influence, Reverend Moore forbids Ariel from seeing Ren. Ren drives Willard, Ariel, and her friend, Rusty, to a bar across the state line to go dancing. Willard, unable to dance, becomes jealous and gets into a fight with a man dancing with Rusty.
On the drive home, Ariel describes how, five years earlier, her older brother died in a car accident after a night of alcohol and dancing. Their father then persuaded the town council to enact strict anti-liquor, anti-drug, and anti-dance laws. Ren decides to challenge the dancing and rock music ban so the high school can hold a senior prom.
Across state lines, Ren takes Willard, Ariel, and her friend Rusty to a honky-tonk. Willard is embarrassed he cannot dance and upon seeing Rusty with a stranger, he winds up getting in a fight, so Ren teaches Willard. Chuck confronts Ariel about her feelings for Ren and they get into a physical altercation before breaking up while Ariel vandalized Chuck's truck. Ren helps Ariel conceal the physical assault, cementing their relationship.
Someone throws a brick through Ren's window with the words, "Burn in Hell". When his uncle criticizes Ren's outspoken behavior, Ethel tells Ren that though his actions cost her her job, he should stand up for what he believes is right.
With Ariel's help, Ren goes before the town council to advocate revoking the anti-dancing law. He reads Bible verses and cites the scriptural significance of dancing to rejoice, exercise, and celebrate. Reverend Moore is moved but the council regardlessly votes against Ren. Vi supports Ren and tells Shaw that he cannot be everyone's father and is hardly one to Ariel.
Despite discussing with Ren his own family losses and Ariel telling her father she is not a virgin, Reverend Moore does not change his stance. He finds members of his congregation burning library books that they claim endanger the town's youth. Moore chastises the book burners and sends them home.
On Sunday, Reverend Moore asks his congregation to pray for the students putting on the prom in a grain mill just over the county line beyond Bomont's jurisdiction. On prom night, Moore and Vi listen outside the mill. The high school students there sat on benches as the music played till Ren and Ariel took the dancefloor, and everyone else started jumping in. Chuck and his friends arrive, attacking Willard. Ren arrives and knocks out Chuck. Ren, Ariel, Willard and Rusty rejoin the party and dance the night away.
