‘STRAWBERRY SUMMER’

In rural Fairland, California, a town famous for the world's best strawberries, Beth Landon visits her family’s farm to plan the annual Strawberry Festival with her doting mother, Eileen. Beth has been crowned the Strawberry Queen, but Eileen is dubious at Beth’s decision on the musical act—a troublemaking country singer named Jason Keith, who is notorious for canceling shows at the last minute. Beth reassures her mother before she heads to Dover High School, where Beth teaches a glee club who are excited to compete in the festival's talent contest. As the town prepares for the festival, Jason Keith rides into town with his frustrated manager Ray. Jason is upset he has to spend the whole week leading up to the concert in Fairland, but Ray explains he should be happy someone booked him at all. He hopes this will revitalize Jason's image, which has been in a slow decline due to his weak second album sales and concert no-shows. Jason wonders if maybe he was meant to be a one-hit-wonder with his first country tune, “Easy Heart,” but begrudgingly agrees to wait in town until the concert. Jason arrives at the Fairland Inn, where Beth, Eileen, and Eileen's two friends Mimi and Ruth--the official festival planning committee--are all waiting to eagerly welcome him. Jason is too cool, blowing them off. Beth, gathering her courage, approaches Jason to give him a schedule of events, and Jason scoffs, but something about her intrigues him.

The next morning, as Beth and her team line up for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony on stage, Jason is late. Beth rushes to his hotel to see a groggy Jason just getting out of bed. Beth realizes this isn't going to be easy. To make matters worse, Ray has to leave for another business trip, putting Jason solely on Beth's watch. As Jason forces himself to play along with the town's ceremony, his sly flirtation with Beth becomes more obvious. Seeing their connection, Eileen enthusiastically invites Jason over for a home-cooked meal that night, and trapped, Jason accepts. Over dinner, as Eileen and her husband Jim try to make conversation with Jason, his wry remarks about his failing career make everyone uncomfortable. At the festival the next day, a reporter from the local news arrives and begins to ask Jason prying questions about his tanking reputation. Jason gets angry and stomps off, leaving Beth to deal with the baffled crowd and reporter. Fed up with Jason’s attitude, Beth tells him to shape up or leave town. Jason is surprised she is so forward, but, as a spoiled star, feigns indifference. But that afternoon, he surprises her when he shows up early to judge the strawberry recipe contest. When he has an allergic reaction to the strawberries, Beth helps him recover and the two finally begin to open up to each other. At the bar that night, Jason is drinking alone when Roxanne, a brash brunette who has a long-standing feud with Beth stemming from high school, sidles up to him. As she hits on him, she mentions Beth's failed attempt at a singing career in Los Angeles. Jason is intrigued, but realizes Roxanne is trying to stir something up and resists her advances.

Remembering Jason mentioned he grew up in Tennessee on a horse farm, Beth suggests he do his photo shoot on her farm. He is hesitant and soon Beth finds out why--Jason only lived in Tennessee until age 2, soon relocating to Manhattan. Feeling duped, she decides to have a little fun with his lie, and at the photo shoot, she asks him to make it more authentic by getting on a horse. As he rides, he is thrown off the horse and Beth can only laugh as she helps him up, her lesson taught. As they talk later, Beth learns Jason is conflicted by the identity he has created for himself as a country boy. He tries to play it up to his fans to keep his career afloat. Beth feels for Jason, and offers to help him learn how to ride a horse if he’ll meet her glee club. The glee club is excited to hear Jason’s advice, but when Jason admits he doesn't write his songs, he is embarrassed. Despite the embarrassment, Jason agrees to help Beth rewrite the lyrics to "When the Saints Go Marching In" for the club to perform at the festival. Against his own will, Jason is starting to like Fairland, and Beth, and is newly inspired to write his own music. Jason decides if the kids win the talent show, he'll let them sing with him at his concert. Happy to be spending so much time with Beth, Jason asks her to dinner, where he mentions her singing days in Los Angeles, and encourages her to keep trying, just as she urges him to write his own song. They stroll through the festival grounds, where they run into Roxanne who enviously notices the sparks between them. At the end of the night, Jason walks Beth home where he thanks her for bringing him to town, and kisses her. Jason begins writing his own tune, but when news gets out to Ray that he is planning on singing it at his concert--with the glee club--Ray calls Jason to put a stop to it immediately. Meanwhile, inspired by Jason's songwriting and his new change in attitude, Beth decides to audition for a musical but leaves in tears, thinking she did a horrible job. To make matters worse, that evening at the festival, Beth witnesses Roxanne corner Jason in an unwanted lip lock. As she storms away, Beth admits Roxanne isn't the only thing bothering her, and tells Jason about the audition. As he comforts her, he also confesses Ray doesn’t want him to sing with the glee club. Beth is even more upset, and very disappointed in him.

Beth breaks the news to her glee club that night at rehearsal, while Jason heads to a bar to drown his sorrows. On his way out, Roxanne approaches, cornering him in an incriminating grasp, witnessed by Beth’s best friend. When Beth returns home, she finds Jason waiting for her on her steps, eager to explain. He apologizes for always running away, and admits he feels like a failure--he can't write his own songs, he can't keep a relationship, and he couldn't face the glee club to break the news himself. Beth pushes past him. In the morning, Beth is in low spirits. She tries to forget Jason--until she finds out Roxanne spotted Jason driving out of town that morning. Beth is distraught; if Jason misses the concert and disappoints the town, it will be all her fault. She finds him at a scenic overlook with his guitar, still struggling to find the lyrics to an original song. Beth urges him to come clean to his fans about his real background as a New Yorker, and hopes he won’t leave Fairland without performing the concert. When she heads to the high school for glee club rehearsal, she is shocked to see Jason there, ready to turn things around. Then, Ray returns to make sure Jason doesn’t sing his new song, and Jason is angry—he cares about the people in town and doesn't want to disappoint the glee club. He spends all night finishing his song. Before the talent show the next day, Beth learns she got the part in the musical and is ecstatic. At the festival, the glee club wins the talent show with Jason’s reworked lyrics. Jason prepares to sing his new song, and Ray warns him if he takes that risk, he'll quit as his manager. Challenged, Jason takes the stage and dedicates his original song to Beth. While Ray fumes in the wings, Jason brings the glee club on stage, and even invites Beth on stage to sing the last chorus with him, to a roaring crowd’s approval. After the concert, Beth and Jason celebrate and Ray apologizes for not believing in Jason. He hopes Jason will keep him on as his manager, before heading out on a date with his new love interest—Roxanne! Beth and Jason realize they are meant to be more than just friends, deciding to be a duet long term as an official couple.