Arnie Cunningham is a typical high school nerd who is overruled by his parents and has very few friends. Until he meets Christine, a rundown 1958 Plymouth Fury, and buys her. Arnie learns that Christine has a thing for him and devotes his time to restoring her new condition. But over time, Arnie begins to change and breaks away from reality and his friends. Arnie's friend Leigh and his best friend Dennis find out that Christine's previous owner did not care about anything else when he bought her and find that Arnie is just like him. The only way they can bring Arnie back to reality is to destroy Christine, but Arnie and Christine are ready to destroy them first and anyone else in their way.