It's 1963, and budget constraints are forcing Miss Godard's School for Girls to merge with a nearby boy's boarding school. This alarms student Verena (Kirsten Dunst) and her friends, who launch a strike to preserve their academy's all-girl tradition. Their defiance angers straight-arrow Abby (Rachael Leigh Cook) and causes headaches for sympathetic teacher Miss McVane (Lynn Redgrave). Gaby Hoffmann and Heather Matarazzo co-star.