Robert Hall's drama Lightning Bug concerns a young man trapped in a small southern town with an abusive stepfather. The young man has developed a remarkable facility at creating make-up effects for horror films, and he hopes these skills will get him out of the town were his work is unappreciated by the religious zealots in the town.
However his relationship with a pretty girl who wants to stay right where she is may be the one thing to keep him from following his dream.