Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway is a 1976 American made-for-television drama film which premiered on NBC on September 27, 1976.

The story follows a 15-year-old girl named Dawn Wetherby (Eve Plumb) who runs away from home to Hollywood, California and becomes a prostitute to support herself.

Dawn Wetherby is a 15-year-old girl living in a small community, with her alcoholic mother and two younger brothers.

After a humiliating incident involving her mother berating her at a school dance, she decides to run away to Hollywood.

She befriends a streetwise young prostitute named Frankie Lee, who helps her retrieve her money from the mugger.

Dawn develops a cough and goes to a clinic, where a young man named Alexander notices her and introduces himself.

Her first attempt at prostitution winds up with the client feeling guilty and taking pity on her; he tells her to keep the $20 he gave her and to go back home.

Feeling panicked when Alex leaves for a few days, Dawn seeks out Frankie Lee and asks to become a prostitute for her pimp, Swan.

Alex is a talented artist and has been painting a mural on a wall of his apartment of Alexander the Great; because of this, Dawn wants to buy him an expensive book.

Umber helps Alex by finding him a job as a stock boy in a large department store, allowing him to cease prostitution.

Swan chases them, and confronts Alex with a switchblade, while Dawn runs into the street screaming for help.