So Young, So Bad

Three girls flee Elmview Corrective School for Girls. Two steal a truck and escape, while the third hides nearby. Their daring escape sets the stage for the staff's response and the ensuing power struggle.

The day after the escape, Dr. John Jason, a psychiatrist on staff, is told to resign by Riggs, the chief of staff. Jason refuses, and an investigation into his methods is launched. The scene then shifts to Jason's arrival at Elmview.

Against Riggs's wishes, Jason is hired to reduce the high recidivism rate at Elmview. He meets several new arrivals and naively suggests treatments to Riggs and the staff. The senior staff seem to listen but do not implement his ideas.

Jason explores the school and discovers the girls are forced to work as farm hands and in a sweatshop laundry. Punishments include solitary confinement for those who refuse. He is appalled by the cruelty and the lack of oversight.

Ruth Levering warns Jason that his reform efforts will likely fail against the entrenched system. She cautions that backing the girls could cost her job. Jason begins to sense the depth of resistance he faces.

During a punitive incident, Mrs. Beuhler confiscates the girls' belongings. Riggs discovers that Beuhler has killed a rabbit the girls kept as a pet. The cruelty highlights the regime's brutality.

The girls retaliate by setting fire to their bedding and the dormitory burns. Beuhler responds by bringing the girls to the basement and turning a fire hose on them. The episode marks a turning point in the girls' resistance.

On their day off, Jason and Levering meet and discuss the school's politics. She explains that backing him with the staff could cost her job, and he rejects the idea of giving up. Despite the clash, a cautious friendship begins to form.

Returning to Elmview, Jason and Levering manage to rescue the girls from Beuhler's control. Loretta, a single mother Jason tried to help earlier, develops a crush on him as a result. The rescue signals a shift toward possible reform.

Jason threatens to report the fire hose incident to the board, and makes a deal with Riggs to stay on in a purely administrative role while Jason and Levering implement the treatment program. Under the new regime, harsh punishments are abolished, the farm and laundry are shut down, and vocational training programs are introduced. Morale and behavior improve as reforms take hold.

The girls plan a dance inviting boys from a nearby trade school. During the night, a girl borrows perfume from Mrs. Beuhler; she punishes Dolores by cutting her hair, leaving Dolores in tears. The other girls attend the dance, while Loretta is hurt by Jason's rejection at the dance and retreats to the dorm.

After the hair-cut incident, Loretta returns to the dorm and discovers Dolores has committed suicide. Riggs sees the body and suspends Jason and Levering, placing Beuhler back in charge. The hearing panels struggle to pin blame on Jason for the tragedy.

Fearing harsher conditions, Loretta and Jackie visit the maternity home to see Loretta's baby and to get money. Loretta decides to keep the child rather than give him up for adoption. They return to Elmview to testify, hoping to support the others.

At the hearing, the girls' corroborated testimonies lead to the arrest of Riggs and Beuhler. The epilogue shows Jason and Levering running the school, Loretta paroled with her son, and many of the other girls going on to lead productive lives.