As the moon casts its silvery glow over the serene grounds of Cherryvale Academy for Girls in Northern California, Christine "Chris" Ramsey (/actor/matthew-modine) relaxes in her bed while offering her roommate Betsy (/actor/betsy-russell) a dramatic reading from a sensational romance novel. Meanwhile, three unsuspecting fellows from Freemount Academy for Men, including Jim Green and his pleasant yet disheveled friend Bubba Beauregard (/actor/michael-zorek), try to surreptitiously sneak a glimpse of the girls' quarters. When Jordan Leigh-Jensen is unexpectedly interrupted while showering, she asserts control and recruits Chris and Betsy’s assistance to shoo away the peering boys, leading to a spectacular tumble from the rooftop. In retaliation for their disturbance, the roommates devise a cunning plan involving a lighted bag of horse manure, which they position at Jordan's door.
That evening, during a co-ed dance, Chris confesses her desire to give her virginity to Jim. As they sway together on the dance floor, Chris openly shares her intentions, drawing Jim's attentive ear. In that moment, Miss Dutchbok (/actor/ray-walston), the headmistress, delivers a fiery speech that inspires the band to break into a soulful ballad. Jordan, still harboring a grudge against Chris, seizes on this occasion, while Bubba is swept up in romantic exuberance and sneaks away with Betsy to the headmistress's office for a secretive rendezvous. Unfortunately for them, their intimate moment is abruptly interrupted by Miss Dutchbok and her entourage.
The following day, after their aerobics and sex education class, Chris takes charge and reserves a hotel room for herself and Jim. As the days drift by, tensions brew below the surface while students from both academies embark on group horseback rides across the rolling hills. In a quest for revenge, Jordan flashes Jim as she trots by, igniting a cascade of reactions. Betsy seizes the moment to execute her own revenge by swiping Jordan's shirt, forcing Jordan to ride topless amidst the watchful eyes of Miss Dutchbok and numerous alumni.
In the ensuing weeks, Jim finds himself baffled when he attempts to buy condoms, mistakenly purchasing dental hygiene products instead. Simultaneously, Chris becomes distracted on her own mission to acquire protection, only to be spotted by Miss Dutchbok herself. As Jim, still riding the high of a gaming marathon, grapples with the courage to have a romantic chat with Chris, Jordan's resentment simmers. Under the cloak of night, Betsy unleashes her fury on Jordan and her roommate Rita, skillfully slicing the seams of their cheerleading uniforms, rendering them unusable for an upcoming competition. The next day, a careless mistake by Coach Whelan during a cheer practice causes both Rita and himself to become the targets of laughter and mockery from their classmates and the boys' football team. In response, Miss Dutchbok punishes Jordan, Rita, Betsy, and Chris by confining them to campus for a week, halting all social activities.
As parent-teacher conference day approaches, Jim senses an opening to seek guidance from Chris's father regarding his unreciprocated feelings for Chris. Following an emotional exchange with her parents, Betsy eventually decides to revive her romantic ties with Jim. Unbeknownst to them, Jordan’s father gets entangled in a scandalous affair with his new stepmother, only to have their secretive trysts exposed by Miss Dutchbok, who mistakenly identifies their chauffeur Chauncey as Jordan’s father.
Amidst the unfolding drama, Bubba and Betsy’s attempt to reignite their romance in a car inadvertently broadcasts their intimate escapade to everyone present. The ensuing chaos climaxes with the car spiraling out of control down a hill and crashing into a pool. As calm returns, Chris and Jim share a bittersweet farewell, embarking on a romantic adventure at a posh hotel. Yet their evening takes a turn for the worse due to Chris's distaste for the hotel's tacky decor, compounded by food poisoning from room service and champagne. Ultimately, the pair finds solace in a passionate beach rendezvous under the morning sun.
With simmering tensions still at play, Bubba sets his sights on Jordan, leading to a mysterious midnight visit from her. When Betsy catches wind of their secret meeting, she is left in shock. Against this backdrop of passion, betrayal, and rebellion, graduation day arrives, culminating in a final act of defiance as the graduating girls in the front row display their bare backsides to Miss Dutchbok, their stern headmistress, claiming the freedom they have long fought for.
