All of thirty-one inches, tall Cadence (Cady) Roth is a true survivor in a town where - as she says - 'you can die of encouragement'. Her early leading role as a lovable elf in a smash-hit American film proved a major disappointment since moviegoers never saw the face behind the rubber mask she had to wear. After a decade of hollow promises from the Industry, she is still waiting for the miracle that will make her a star. Armistead Maupin tracks his spunky heroine across the saffron-hazed wasteland of Los Angeles - from her infrequent meetings with agents and studio moguls to her regular, harrowing encounters with small children, large dogs and human ignorance. Then one day a lanky piano player saunters into Cady's life,. unleashing heady new emotions, and she finds herself going for broke, shooting the moon with a scheme so hare-brained and daring that it might just succeed...