Diminutive teenager Francie Lawrence (Sandra Dee) has a bunch of boy-crazy friends, but she could care less about boys. That is, until she goes to the beach one day and meets surfer Jeffrey Moondoggie Matthews (James Darren) and his friends, including Burt The Big Kahuna Vail (Cliff Robertson). Now, Francie, whom the boys call Gidget -- short for girl midget -- wants to learn how to surf, so she buys a used board and dives into the sunny world of Southern California surfing fever.