The world is a confusing place for Wendy (Dakota Fanning). As a fiercely independent and brilliant young woman with autism, Wendy longs to leave the regimen of her group home, and return to life with her sister's family and their new baby. But first she must prove herself.

As a lover of all-things Star Trek, Wendy writes fantasy stories in her free time. To her, people are an indecipherable code and she uses her Star Trek filter to understand them. When a screenplay competition presents itself, Wendy decides to finish her 500 page Star Trek script and enter. Now the problem is getting it there. In order to meet the deadline, Wendy must travel hundreds of miles outside her protected boundaries to submit her script in person.

With her little dog Pete in her purse and a few dollars in her pocket, Wendy boldly goes where she has never gone before. And with her no-nonsense therapist (Toni Collette) and big sister Audrey (Alice Eve) following close behind, Wendy--with the help of some colourful friends she meets along the way--must learn how to follow her dream and find her place in a world she hopes will accept her....Just like everyone else.