Mandalay Florentino, arriving in Daily, Texas, to arrange a surprise "reunion concert" for "American Superstars" finalist Amber Anderson, learns that Amber has disappeared with a "bad boy" actor, and as a result, discovers the talent of Imagene Doll.

"Welcome to Sametown where everyone and everything is...well...the same. Except our protagonist: Mighty Mara! She's a little different. While her classmates sign up and ready their performances for the school talent show, Mara musters up the courage to also sign up--but unlike the others, she's going to dance, dance, dance! The only problem is, everyone encourages her not to! Mara won't let her classmates' heckling and teacher's dissuading rock her...

When Belinda, a tiny girl with enormous feet, is cast as a clown in her school's talent show she is very unhappy, but after each disastrous rehearsal she observes an older student ballet dancing, then goes home to practice what she has seen.

After years of being a TV ratings juggernaut but now taking a hit in viewership, Project Icon keeps assistant producer Sasha King hopping, what with its diva judges, foul-mouthed contestants, and muckracking gossip columnists.

Sister Bear interviews her grandmother for a school assignment, Gran decides to enter her old vaudeville act in the school talent show, and Gramps moves into the gardening shed.