Hollywood. 1937. The Golden Age of Cinema. Six women, who come to Hollywood with the dream of becoming famous, find themselves working as stand-ins to the glamorous stars of the era. They gather at their local watering hole for a birthday celebration where they share their hopes and dreams with the bartender JACK, the ringmaster of the "stand-in" circus. During the course of one evening, a new stand-in is introduced to the group, instigating a turn of events which will change their lives forever.

The stand-ins include SHIRLEY, Greta Garbo's drug addicted stand-in; MONICA, Bette Davis' look-a-like; PEGGY, Mae West's religious stand-in; RHONDA, Marlene Deitrich's bisexual stand-in; TAFFY, Rita Hayworth's new stand-in - a seemingly naïve 19 year-old fresh from the plains of Wyoming; and the birthday girl MARTHA ANNE, Jean Harlow's manic depressive stand-in.

STAND-INS takes place during the course of one evening - a stirring look at the friendships that form during the battle for stardom and about dreams which go astray.