In the spring of 1954, at Summit College—the fictional campus in Erie, Pennsylvania—the story unfolds with a memory narrated by Rodger Carter, now an adult reflecting on his fraternity days. He paints Gamma Nu Pi as a select circle of bright scholars, elite athletes, and future politicians, yet one that openly excludes Blacks and Jews. Over fifteen weeks, the new pledges endure a rigorous initiation under pledge master Rodger Carter, setting the tone for a campus culture defined by ritual and hierarchy.
Fraternity life introduces the pledges to the figure of authority in the house, Chunk Cherry, who enforces hazing through ridiculous costumes and trips to the Kappa Delta Alpha house. There, pledge Zac Sterling meets and connects with KDA pledge Jennifer Harris. As the week progresses, Zac is elected president of the pledge class, and a budding friendship forms between Zac and Rodger, with private conversations touching on The Great Gatsby and what the future might hold for them both.
Rodger privately confronts the group about hazing, saying he is against it, while Chunk resists, choosing silence rather than confrontation. The campus newspaper captures Zac and Jennifer in a moment of mutual interest, and a hallway encounter with Jim Jenson—who left Gamma Nu Pi for another fraternity—adds tension about exclusive alliances. That same night, a celebration at the KDA house sees Rodger presenting his fraternity pin to Betty Ann, a member of the sorority. Yet the atmosphere tightens when Chuck demands that Zac participate in singing, labeling him a “pledge” and asserting authority over KDA property. Zac yields to the pressure, leaving Jennifer and doubting his ability to challenge the status quo.
Tensions escalate when Lloyd Pope’s diplomat father is accused of being a communist by Senator McCarthy and resigns, prompting the active members to expel Lloyd under Chuck’s influence. Zac and Lloyd had been friends in high school, fueling a sense of personal betrayal. Zac attempts to rally the pledges to walk out in protest, but the effort falters. Inside, Jennifer voices disillusionment with the Greek system, suggesting they resign and seek a life together outside the fraternity, while Zac counters that he can reform Gamma Nu Pi from within.
A project to win a contest with WSAS radio station brings a glimmer of hope: pledges aim to secure a 24-hour slot for the Budapest String Quartet. Chuck escalates his harassment, coercing Zac to eat a raw onion for a minor infraction, and Rodger attempts to intervene. A campus-wide dance fundraiser follows, intended to bring in more entries; Jennifer reveals the Birdland line while Betty Ann complains about the dance’s African American origins. After the pledges win the radio contest, alumnus Brother Abernathy publicly commends the pledges at a formal dinner, marking a rare moment of approval.
Romance cools and fractures as Betty Ann and Rodger break up at a lawn party hosted by Abernathy, while Jennifer and Zac also part ways after another clash over Zac’s refusal to abandon Gamma Nu Pi. When Lloyd remains excluded even after his father’s exoneration, Zac leaves the fraternity in protest, only to be persuaded by Rodger to return. Chuck accuses Rodger of taking sides with the pledges, and in a twist of power, Chuck is elected to replace Rodger as pledge master just before the final initiation period, Hell Week.
Hell Week culminates in the Ceremony of the Griffin, where blindfolded pledges kneel before an altar in their underwear and bow ties. They are subjected to a gauntlet of humiliations, including being smeared with eggs and fed raw liver by Chuck as the Griffin. When Zac receives a liver piece that is too large, he chokes, and despite Rodger’s attempts to help, Zac dies as the ambulance arrives. The attendants chastise the fraternity for their reckless pranks, leaving Rodger to confront the trauma of what has happened. He hesitates before launching an assault on Chuck, recognizing that the pledge master and all members share in the collective shame and sorrow. In recollection of their earlier discussion about Fitzgerald, Rodger concludes that Zac will always stand as the “eternal dreamer.”
