Sonja is hounded by the press after a risque photo is leaked. Claudia, seeing the sparks between Raina and Cole, lands a clothing line campaign for them. However, Raina struggles with keeping up her public image with Cole due to her true feelings lying with Chris. Later, Raian must face her father. Meanwhile, Issac's relationship with Vivienne becomes strained; and Alex, Raina's brother gets himself in trouble with the Russian mob, but Marissa comes to his rescue.
The life of a high-fashion model appears glamorous and sexy, but as every new model quickly learns, behind the beautiful facade is a world of insecurity and cutthroat competition. Two teenage models who are about to discover this world for themselves are Raina Collins, a stunning beauty with a secret past, and Chris Andrews, a strikingly handsome Iowa farm boy. When Raina makes an unforgettable impression at a show introducing the new line from designer Zac Posen, she steals the spotlight from her friend Sonja.
Sonja has been out of the country for mysterious reasons and is now desperate to reclaim her standing as the reigning supermodel. While Raina and Sonja live at the top of the fashion food chain, Chris is starting at the bottom, having just been discovered by agent Simon Lockridge of the Covet Modeling Agency, which is owned by former supermodel Claudia Foster. At his first photo shoot, Chris' inexperience almost derails his career until Raina comes to his rescue, showing him how to relax and work the camera.
That afternoon, Raina brings Chris to the models' residence where she lives along with other young hopefuls, including Marissa Delfina, Egan, Issac and the current alpha-male-model known as Kai. At an exclusive industry party that night, Chris is again impressed by Raina's generosity when she steps aside to make sure Sonja lands a job that will resurrect her career. However, after an ugly scene with Simon, Chris is left to question whether he can survive in this world of dangerous excess and fleeting fame.