Bill Nelson is a disengaged principal of a suburban high school and a bored husband stuck in a stale marriage. He is jolted out of his complacent life when a young teacher, Penny Spindrift, dies in a fire in her portable classroom. Unable to fathom how such a horrific event could happen at his school, Bill begins a life changing search to discover a resolution to his treadmill career and his stale marriage.

Bill's search begins with his attempt to understand how the fire started and why Penny Spindrift did not escape. A few days after the fire, Bill reluctantly meets with Penny's sophomore English class. Bill is forced to interact with individual adolescents trying to understand this tragedy in their lives and struggling to succeed in high school. He begins to wonder about a school sytem focused only on college bound students and athletes on winning sports teams.

Awakened to the negative aspects of his school's culture, Bill's attempt to make rapid changes spins out of control. Within two weeks, he is fighting to save his career, struggling with an angry wife, attracted to a school counselor, and involved with a disturbed boy. Caught up in an uncontrolled sequence of events, Bill impulsively makes decisions that endanger his life and the lives of others.