Brandon Teena (Hilary Swank) is a young trans man whose birth name was Teena Renae Brandon. When Brandon is discovered to be transgender by a former girlfriend's brother, he receives death threats. Soon after, he is involved in a street fighting and is evicted from his cousin's trailer. Brandon moves to Falls City, Nebraska, where he befriends ex-convicts John Lotter (Peter Sarsgaard) and Tom Nissen (Brendan Sexton III), and their friends Candace (Lecy Goranson) and Lana Tisdel (Chloë Sevigny). Brandon becomes romantically involved with Lana, who is initially unaware of his troubled past. The two make plans to move to Memphis, Tennessee, where Brandon will manage Lana's karaoke singing career. Eventually, during a date night which ends with them having sex, Lana discovers that Brandon is trans, but continues to be intimate with him.