An American girl, Daphne, heads to Europe in search of the father she's never met. But instead of finding a British version of her bohemian mother, she learns the love of her mom's life is an uptight politician. The only problem now is that her long-lost dad is engaged to a fiercely territorial social climber with a daughter who makes Daphne's life miserable.

During the spring of 2000, eleven girls aged 8 to 16 from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds and two classrooms of middle and high school students were interviewed about their views on media culture and its impact on their lives. Their insightful and provocative responses provide the central theme of the film, a half-hour examination of how the media presents girls. Juxtaposing footage culled from a typical week of TV broadcasting with original interviews, WHAT A GIRL WANTS will provoke debate and, ideally, act as a catalyst for change in media content.

Layla refuses to get married because she believes all men are liars especially after her sister's tragic suicide on her wedding day when her fiancé left her. Layla's father decides to put an end to her stubbornness and sends a letter that explains her problem to Ahmed who works as an editor for the local newspaper. His friend Kamal, a womanizer wants to settle down and find a wife. Ahmed suggests that Kamal should meet with Layla and ask for her hand in marriage, and both of them get engaged. When Layla discovers more on Kamal's past, she breaks off the engagement and the problems commence.