Alexandra Petrakova Johnson does not want to be a beautiful ballerina, and she does not want to leave her friends in Apple Creek. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop her ballet-crazy mother from moving the family to Harlem, or from enrolling Al at the Nutcracker School of Ballet. Life is hard when you're the new Sugar Plum Ballerina on the block, and it's even harder when you're chosen to be Sugar Plum Fairy in the big recital. The other girls think Al's happy to have the role, but they don't know Al yet—not only is she a terrible dancer, but she's also got a rotten case of stage fright! Al's going to need lots of help to find her inner Sugar Plum Fairy. Are her classmates up to the challenge?