Pretty in Pink is a film about teenage love and social cliques in 1980s American high schools. High school senior Andie Walsh is a working-class girl who has a crush on one of the rich, preppie boys in her school, Blane McDonough. When Andie and Blane try to get together, they encounter resistance from their respective social circles.

Andie lives on "the wrong side of the tracks" with her unemployed father, Jack. Andie's best friend Duckie is in love with her, but plays it off as a joke in front of her. The original ending to this film depicted Duckie getting the girl, however, the test audiences said they would have preferred to see Blane win Andie's heart. Additionally, Director John Hughes was concerned audiences would take the original ending as a message that poor people and rich people don't belong together.