For African American high school student Elwood Curtis the arrival of the Civil Rights Movement in his black enclave in Frenchtown in Tallahassee, Florida, brings with it the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.: "as good as anyone." Elwood takes this to heart, but one mistake gets him sentenced to juvenile reformatory Nickel Academy. There, the sadistic staff abuses the students and beats them, and any boy who resists will disappear "out back." Horrified, Elwood tries to hold on to Dr. King's optimism, but his only friend, Turner, thinks he is worse than naive and throws himself into schemes and back stabbing.