Drew Barrymore plays Charlie McGhee, a pre-pubescent girl whose moods of anger and frustration are manifested in the telekinetic creation of raging fires. Her parents participated in dangerous government experiments in the 60s, and their bodies were altered in ways that affected the physical and mental makeup of their child. Now the CIA wants to harness Charlie's powers and use them as weapons of destruction. They successfully kidnap her, but can they contain her fears and blistering rage' Circumstances soon spin way beyond their control.