In the small town of Brookhaven, Mississippi - a few days before the Fourth of July - Carnelle Scott (known locally as "Miss Hot Tamale") is rehearsing furiously for the Miss Firecracker Contest. But the unexpected arrival of her cousin Elain, a former Miss Firecracker winner, along with Elain's eccentric brother, Delmount, complicates matters a bit. Aided by a touchingly awkward seamstress named Popeye and several other cheerfully nutty characters, Carnelle perseveres. Can all concerned finally escape their unhappy pasts and turn to a better future?