A girl, Noel from Utah, begrudgingly attends a fancy dinner with her strict parents, feeling uncomfortable in her attire and under pressure from their etiquette instructions. At the dinner, she meets Graham, a boy her parents hope she will marry. Noel feels trapped by her wealthy but restrictive lifestyle and envies her best friend Star's freedom and talent. Star fakes an emergency to rescue Noel from the dinner, revealing her own issues with a new boyfriend and her parents' expectations. As events unfold, Noel is coerced into impersonating Star after she disappears, leading to a series of misadventures and revelations about Star's true feelings and intentions. Ultimately, Noel confronts her own jealousy and selfishness, reconciles with Star, and starts to take control of her life, ending on a hopeful note for both girls' futures.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator, Noel, attends a fancy dinner with her parents.
2. Noel feels uncomfortable and has to wear a tight bun and a sequined dress.
3. A boy named Graham sits next to Noel at the dinner table.
4. Noel's parents want her to marry Graham in a few years.
5. Graham's aunt is a major politician.
6. Noel's best friend, Star, has disappeared.
7. Star's parents ask Noel to pretend to be Star for public appearances.
8. Noel agrees to help Star's parents and assumes Star's identity.
9. Noel meets with music producers and reviews her recording schedule as Star.
10. Noel discovers a poster with a mean note about her in Graham's apartment.
11. Noel feels betrayed by Graham's words and decides to take control of her life.
12. Noel starts to enjoy her life as Star and makes friends with celebrities.
13. Noel's parents discover her secret and are angry with her.
14. Noel decides to find Star and discovers a clue in a fish tank.
15. The clue leads Noel to King's Peak, where she finds Star.
16. Star reveals that she ran away from home due to pressure from her parents.
17. Noel apologizes to Star and promises to help her family.
18. Noel and Graham make up, and Graham apologizes for his past behavior.
19. Noel and Graham plan to meet for dinner without their parents.