Shirley Temple plays Wendy Ballantine, adopted daughter of two Broadway stars. With her sunny smile, curls, dimples and tapping feet, Wendy manages to steal the show everytime. But the senior Ballantines want to give Shirley a chance to grow up in a 'normal' neighborhood, to have friends to play with and to lead a regular life. After one last show, they retire to the country and with their robust cheerfulness, try to take the town by storm. Unfortunately, the senior townspeople refuse to accept the family and their 'showbiz' ways. Disheartened, the Ballantines decide to return to the stage, but as they leave town, a fierce storm hits the town, and Joe Ballantine saves the little boy of one of the locals. The locals realize that showbiz is not the only thing this family knows or cares about, and there is a happy ending. The Ballantines stay and their town is now a happy one, because everyone sees that change can be a good thing after all. Shirley also gets to say goodbye in the scene where the Ballantines announce that they are leaving vaudeville, and it isn't hard to get the feeling that this is going to be her last movie with Fox; it is the saddest scene in the movie. Though it wasn't her best movie, it is interesting to watch because it looks back at her earlier movies with songs and video clips.

This movie features 3 songs in the written order: 'Fifth Avenue', 'Young People' and 'Tra-la-la-la'.