Despite the rather abrupt title that immediately thrusts the themes of racism and prejudice examined throughout the film into the forefront, Towelhead is more intimately tied to a young girl's painful journey from the ignorance of childhood to the harsh realities of adolescence. After complications arise with her mother's new beau, Jasira (Summer Bishil) is forcibly shipped to her father's (Peter Macdissi) suburban home deep in the heart of Texas. Unaccustomed to his strict cultural notions of propriety that are tied to his Lebanese heritage, Jasira's sexual awakening after the onset of menstruation marks the first of many excruciating hardships brought on by puberty and the lack of a figure in her life to properly explain and guide her through it. Sufficiently confused but exceedingly more curious, Jasira's encounters with an amorous neighbor (Aaron Eckhart), a new boyfriend (Eugene Jones), and a concerned neighbor (Toni Collette) culminate into an unnerving and emotionally charged viewing experience.