Maggie Blume is a girl whose father is obsessed with his job as a studio executive, but also puts pressure on her to have a detailed plan for high school and succeed academically. Maggie's true passion, however, is songwriting, which she hides fearing her father's disapproval; once her friends learn of her talent, however, she ends up becoming the lead singer for a band called Vanish. Maggie's early diaries also focus on her crush on another student, Justin Randall, whom she sees as unattainable. Her desire to regain control of her life causes her to develop anorexia. Throughout the series, her biggest struggle comes from trying to assert herself. Her mother's alcoholism eventually helps Maggie realize that she has a problem as well.