December 1970. The students of Barton Academy, a prestigious private boys' school, are dispersing for Christmas vacation, but several underachievers, whose parents cannot or do not want to pick them up, are forced to stay on campus. The despised history teacher, Mr. Hanem, who is a staunch advocate of strict pedagogical methods, and the cook, Mary, who is mourning her son who died in Vietnam, are assigned to look after the boys.
