Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is a bright young girl on the cusp of her 17th birthday who finds herself in a whirlwind romance with a much older David (Peter Sarsgaard). Prior to meeting David, Jenny was trying to excel in her life by going to a prep school to get into Oxford. Once she sees the lifestyle David can provide, one she never imagined might so easily be hers, she is hooked and thoughts of Oxford go out the window. Then, when things are looking pretty good for Jenny with the dashing (yet a little too smooth) David, the truth hits her like a ton of bricks. Jenny goes from being a bright eyed school girl to a sophisticated young lady and then all the way back to questioning if she really knows who she is at all.