Frumpy Muriel Heslop dreams of a huge white wedding, preferably soundtracked by her fave band, Abba. Unfortunately there's little chance of that happening in the small-town Aussie suburbia that is Porpoise Spit. And her beautiful but bitchy "friends" are no help either, cruelly taunting and playing practical jokes on her at every opportunity. When her dad sets her up in a job at his lover Deirdre's beauty salon, Muriel cashes a blank cheque her father had destined for Dierdre and jets off for an exotic holiday with her "friends". There she meets Rhonda, an old school chum she hasn't seen for years and who shares her passion for Abba. The two girls have a great time on holiday; Rhonda persuades Muriel to leave home and move to Sydney with her. The pair move into a flat together; Muriel continues to pursue her dream of marital bliss with serial bridal gown fittings. But then tragedy: Rhonda is diagnosed with cancer and loses the use of both her legs. Muriel answers an ad from a handsome South African swimmer who wants a marriage of convenience to get Australian nationality. Porpoise Spit is set for the wedding of the year.