BEAT GIRL

Paul Linden, a wealthy, middle-aged architect, returns home to Kensington, London. Previously divorced, he brings his new wife, 24-year-old Nichole, whom he has just married in Paris. Paul's teenage daughter, Jennifer, is resentful of his remarriage and rejects Nichole's friendly overtures. After Paul and Nichole go to bed, Jennifer sneaks out to the Off-Beat café in Soho for an evening of rock music and dancing with her friends.

The next day Nichole plans to meet Jennifer at Saint Martin's School of Art, where the latter studies, so they can have lunch together. At lunchtime Nichole arrives at St Martin's but learns that Jennifer has gone to the Off-Beat. There Nicole confronts Jennifer in front of her friends and reminds her to be home for Paul's important business dinner that night. While leaving, Nichole passes Greta, the star performer at the strip club across the street. Greta recognises Nichole and greets her by name. However Nichole ignores her. Jennifer suspects that Nichole was also a stripper before meeting Paul.

At Paul's business dinner Jennifer tries to embarrass Nichole in front of the guests by bringing up the encounter with the stripper. After the guests leave Paul questions Nichole, who says that she knew Greta in Paris and that they were in ballet together but Greta pursued a different way of life and Nichole lost track of her. Paul accepts her explanation but Jennifer goes to the strip club to ask Greta direct. Greta initially claims that she made a mistake and does not know Nichole, but under pressure from her boyfriend, strip club manager Kenny King, she reveals that she and Nichole worked together as strippers and occasional prostitutes in Paris. Jennifer, encouraged by Kenny, becomes enamoured with the idea of becoming a stripper herself. Jennifer is caught by Paul and Nichole coming home from the strip club late at night and a confrontation ensues. Jennifer reveals that she has spoken to Greta and threatens to tell Paul what she has learned if Nichole does not stay out of her life. At the strip club Nicole tells Kenny and Greta to stay away from Jennifer. Kenny says that Jennifer will be welcome there any time and that if Nichole interferes he will tell Paul about her past.

That night Jennifer and her friends dance at Chislehurst Caves and participate in a car race and a game of chicken on railway tracks, where the last person to leave the rails before the train arrives (Jennifer) wins. Jennifer invites everyone to continue the party at her house, since Paul is out of town and Nichole presumably will not interfere. Jennifer accepts a dare to "strip like a Frenchie" and begins a striptease to music, but when she gets down to her underwear Nichole bursts from her bedroom and stops her. Then Paul arrives home and breaks up the party, throwing all of the beatniks out of his house. Jennifer angrily tells Paul about Nichole's activities in Paris. Nichole, crying, admits that it is true and explains that she only did it because she was broke and hungry. Paul and Nichole profess their love for each other and reconcile.

Jennifer goes to the café but now finds it boring. She walks out on her friends and meets Kenny at the strip club. Kenny invites her to go to Paris with him, where he can train her to be a star stripper. Greta later learns that Kenny plans to leave her and go off with Jennifer. As Kenny makes a pass at Jennifer, someone stabs him to death. The club staff, thinking Jennifer has killed Kenny, lock her in a room and call the police. Jennifer screams that she did not do it and the real culprit, Greta, emerges from behind a curtain. Meanwhile Teddy Boys vandalise the car of Tony (one of Jennifer's friends) and smash the guitar of Dave (another of Jennifer's friends), initiating a confrontation between the two groups. Paul and Nichole arrive searching for Jennifer while the police drag her out of the strip club. The police release Jennifer to Paul and Nichole and they return home, arms around one another, as Dave throws his broken guitar in the rubbish.