The Student

Following his parents' harsh divorce and his father's disappearance, Venia withdraws into the Bible seeking guidance. He carries a miniature Bible in his back pocket and reads selectively, turning to it for moral direction. His intense religious fixation begins to disrupt his behavior at home and in school.

Venia's constant quoting of Biblical passages earns him admonitions as his moral sermons interrupt lessons. The other students mock him at times, but the principal sees a charged sense of morality in his rhetoric. The repeated disruptions force school leaders to address his behavior.

When Venia rails against seeing female classmates in bikinis during physical education, the principal recognizes potential leverage in his crusade. He endorses a school code requiring one-piece swimsuits, framing it as a moral standard for modesty. The move heightens Venia's status among some peers and sets the tone for future demonstrations.

In biology class, the teacher's condom demonstration using raw carrots sparks Venia's protest. He strips naked to argue against the lesson, provoking laughter and chaos. The principal sides with the administration, reprimanding the teacher for the demonstration while Venia gains a moral high ground in the eyes of some students.

Venia declares a healing mission and tries to lay hands on his classmate with a limp, hoping for a miracle. The gesture is performed in the school setting and ends in disappointment as the classmate's condition remains unchanged. Venia blames the friend's lack of faith for the failed healing.

A female student who is attracted to Venia pursues him and they share a few kisses in an empty classroom. Venia experiences a pang of guilt afterward, torn between his Bible-led moral code and his impulses. The moment heightens the tension around his influence at school.

The friend with the impaired walk asks Venia to repeat the healing exercise, then they go to the shore of a local lake. There, the friend openly expresses his sexual attraction by kissing Venia on the mouth. Venia is shocked and tries to reassert his biblical stance, signaling the fragility of their friendship.

In a brutal turn, Venia orders his classmate to read a Bible passage, then grabs a heavy rock and strikes him dead by the lake. He leaves the body by the shore and returns to school with the weight of what he has done. The act marks a dramatic escalation from moral crusade to deadly violence.

Back at school, a formal conference is convened to address Venia's disruptive behavior. During the meeting, Venia suddenly and falsely accuses the biology teacher of disrobing and groping him, shocking the faculty. The accusation strains any sense of due process and the teacher is fired.

A police report arrives confirming that the body of another student has been found dead from a mortal head injury at the lake. The administration is shaken as the real gravity of Venia's actions begins to surface, though the teacher remains unaware of the death to this point. The event compounds the school crisis surrounding Venia.

The biology teacher returns to her classroom, physically determined to resist leaving. She nails her shoes to the floor and declares she will not quit, insisting she is blameless despite the false accusations and her firing. The scene embodies the film's collapse of trust among students and staff.

With Venia's fate unresolved and the lake death hanging over the school, the film closes on the biology teacher's defiant stand. The audience is left with a sense of moral ambiguity about accountability, faith, and the consequences of zealotry. The final image centers on the teacher's stubborn resolve, rather than a clear resolution for Venia.