Set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the series follows Angela Chase, a 15-year-old high school student navigating the tumultuous waters of adolescence, identity, and peer pressure at Liberty High School. Abandoning her straight-arrow childhood friends, Angela dyes her hair crimson, befriends outcasts Rayanne Graff and Rickie Vasquez, and develops an all-consuming crush on the brooding, enigmatic Jordan Catalano. Alongside Angela's journey, the series critically explores the parallel struggles of her parents, Patty and Graham, as they attempt to connect with their changing daughter and deal with their own marital and mid-life anxieties. Distinct for its realistic, empathetic portrayal of 1990s teenage angst and its willingness to tackle taboo subjects such as child abuse, homophobia, alcoholism, and homelessness, the show was widely praised for its authentic voice.