The Sarah Rose Princess America Pageant is a beauty contest to die for! And that's exactly what the contestants in Mount Rose, Minnesota, are doing. Ever since the vivacious but vicious former beauty queen, Gladys Leeman (Kirstie Alley), has been pushing her charm-challenged daughter, Rebecca (Denise Richards), to win at all costs, the competition has been dropping like flies. Between exploding tractors and deadly hunting accidents, it's a wonder the top challenger, poor Amber Atkins (Kirsten Dunst), has the courage to keep her tap shoes on. But after Amber's mother (Ellen Barkin) is injured in a suspicious trailer-park beauty shop bombing, Amber is determined to fight to the finish -- and the battle between the good and the bad is about to get ugly.