The young man accidentally drops his fork and the next second, dinner is over. His stepfather doesn’t let it slide. He shuts the door and continues teaching him a lesson.

His biological mother knows about the violence but doesn’t know what to do. She lets it happen, believing it will teach him to be more obedient. After the so-called lesson, the young man Eric, filled with resentment, is forced to shake hands with his stepfather, making up with the man who just beat him.

These beatings happen all the time. His life is filled with violence, but violence only breeds more violence. To abreact his wrath, Eric starts beating up his classmates at school.

Eric completely loses it and beats his friend to a pulp. The others just stand by, watching. No one dares to intervene, too scared of Eric’s violent reputation.

Known for his temper, Eric gets into fights often. After the fight, the school principal finally has enough. He calls Eric into his office and immediately expels him.

There is no more tolerance for his misbehavior, but Eric doesn’t care. As he is leaving, the principal makes a threat. Meanwhile, Eric’s mother has sold some of the family’s artwork to set up a fund for him, hoping he can finish his education.

Later, Eric’s mother tells him to meet her friend Gunnar, a lawyer. Gunnar hands Eric his business card and tells him to call if he ever needs help. Eric, confused, just stares at the card, unsure of what to say.

After Gunnar leaves, his mother admits she is disappointed in him for getting expelled. Then she drops the bomb. She has already enrolled him in a new school.

This new place is called Stjarnsberg, an all-boys boarding school. His mother makes it clear this is his last chance. She expects him to take this opportunity seriously and not mess up again…

Eric nods, promising to do better this time. He swears he’ll graduate without getting expelled again. When Eric arrives at his new school, he’s dressed in a uniform and his hair is cut short.

His new roommate is Pierre, the smartest student in school. The two hit it off, and Eric quickly realizes Pierre is friendly and easy to get along with. As night falls, Eric and Pierre rush to the hall for dinner.

It’s here that Eric meets another student named Johan, who tells him that every school has its traditions. At this school, your treatment depends entirely on your social status. Just as Johan finishes speaking, the student sitting next to Eric is suddenly called out by two other students seated at the far end of the table, Otto and Alain.

The student who was just called comes from an ordinary family, while Otto and Alain are the sons of wealthy nobles. Being from noble families, Otto and Alain often bully other students from less privileged backgrounds, like the one who’s been sitting next to Eric. Otto and Alain act with impunity because their families hold significant influence over the school, meaning they don’t fear expulsion.

They are also part of the student council, which gives them the authority to punish other students. After dinner, Pierre invites Eric to join him for a smoke. Initially, Eric declines, reminding himself of the promise he made to his mother not to break any rules.

Johan then warns that if they get caught, the punishment will be severe. But Pierre assures Eric they won’t get caught, and after some convincing, Eric gives in. The next morning at breakfast, Otto and Alain call Eric over.

They want to give him a welcoming initiation, as it’s tradition for all new students. But Eric refuses outright. Because of this, Johan is forced to suffer the consequences.

Otto strikes Johan in the head, leaving him so injured that he’s eventually taken away by medical staff for treatment. That night, Otto and Alain are gearing up for another round of hazing, this time aimed directly at Eric. They summon him to their headquarters and order him to clean up a pile of dirty shoes on the floor.

Eric, however, defies them once again and walks out immediately. Furious, Alain turns to Otto and asks how they should deal with Eric. Otto, still relaxed, tells Alain to leave Eric alone for now.

Later, Eric tells Pierre everything that happened. His roommate’s expression suddenly grows tense. Pierre warns Eric not to disobey Otto and Alain anymore.

According to Pierre, students who defy their orders always face punishment. Eric, who was once a bully himself, shrugs it off, claiming he isn’t afraid of them. He insists that he will never follow all of their orders…

Later that night, Eric and Pierre brainstorm ways to stand up to Otto and Alain’s bullying without using violence. But it seems almost impossible. Most students prefer to obey them rather than end up bruised and battered.

The next day, Dalain accidentally bumps into Eric while walking down the school corridor. Dalain demands an apology, but Eric refuses because he feels he didn’t do anything wrong. It was Dalain who ran into him.

This enrages Dalain, who then challenges Eric to a fight at a designated spot that night. Later, Pierre and Johan invite Eric to the location Dalain mentioned. Pierre warns Eric that Otto and Dalain never fight fair.

They always call in friends to gang up on their opponents. That evening, Eric initially plans to accept Dalain’s challenge and fight with him. But he changes his mind when he remembers his mother’s advice to behave well in order to graduate from school.

Back in the room, Pierre offers Eric a cigarette to help ease his tension. Meanwhile, Otto and Dalain wait at the battleground for hours. When Eric never shows up, Otto smugly concludes that Eric is too cowardly to fight, mocking him as a rat to the cheers of their lackeys.

The next day, Otto publicly criticizes students who’ve consistently disobeyed the orders of the student organization, and Eric is at the top of that list. In a mock trial, Otto, as the student council president, sentences Eric to a full month of detention and orders him to dig a one-meter deep trench around the school. Eric works on the trench until late, so he ends up eating dinner alone in the hall because his task isn’t completed on time.

While Eric eats, a cafeteria worker named Maria approaches him. Maria seems intrigued by Eric, telling him that he reminds her of her brother. She goes on to explain that, like Eric, her brother had the same defiant attitude, refusing to bow down to authority.

As usual, Eric smokes a bit after his meal. This time, Maria surprises him by showing up again. She warns Eric that smoking isn’t good for his health, saying how she noticed the scent.

Then, Maria unexpectedly kisses and hugs him. Both Eric and Maria know full well that the school strictly forbids any romantic relationships between students and staff. The consequences are severe.

Eric would be expelled, and Maria would be immediately fired. But that night, neither of them cares about the rules. During the Christmas break, Eric returns home.

His mother welcomes him warmly, but his stepfather does not feel the same. He grills Eric about the numerous punishments he’s received, including being suspended from school. Eric answers honestly.

He has refused to follow the orders of another student, who happens to be the son of a powerful noble family at the school. His stepfather scoffs at his explanation, saying that a noble son ought to be treated with respect and obedience. Because of his poor report card and the punishments he’s endured at school, Eric’s stepfather whips him again.

His mother, knowing her son’s suffering, turns a blind eye. When Christmas break ends, Eric finally returns to school. The first thing he does is rush to see Marha, as he has deeply missed her…

Under the moonlight, the two reunite, holding each other close, expressing their longing for each other. Meanwhile, learning that Eric is back at school, Otto and Alain once again plot a prank. This time, they plan to pour dirty water on Eric while he sleeps.

Their plan, of course, does not fail. Eric and Pierre wake up immediately and clean up the mess. But Eric isn’t about to stay silent this time.

He wants payback. Eric takes the remaining dirt, sneaks into Otto’s room, turns off their lamps, and dumps it all over him while he sleeps. The next morning, in the dining hall, Eric makes a point of speaking loudly so that everyone can hear.

He asks, sniffing the air dramatically. He wanders around the room, pretending to follow the scent, before finally stopping right in front of Otto, who is eating breakfast. Eric then loudly declares, Hearing this, Otto flies into a rage.

Furious that Eric has dared to humiliate him in front of everyone, Otto punches Eric in the face, continuing to beat him down. But despite the blows, Eric doesn’t fight back. He has promised his mother he’ll stay out of trouble.

The principal and all the teachers just sit at the next table and keep eating as if nothing happened. Marja, seeing this, immediately steps in and tells Otto to stop. Frustrated that they can’t break Eric’s resolve, Otto and Alain decide it’s time to change their target.

Now, their target is Pierre, Eric’s roommate and his only friend at the school. During lunch, Otto calls Pierre over, but Pierre refuses, believing he has done nothing wrong to Otto. Otto, however, isn’t the type to give up so easily.

After the last class of the day, he challenges Pierre to a fight, threatening him with punishment if he doesn’t show up. Otto and Alain deliberately target Pierre to provoke Eric. Naturally, Eric isn’t going to sit by and watch his best friend get beaten by Otto and his gang.

They plan to gang up on Eric afterward, ensuring no one will ever disobey Otto and Alain again. That evening, Pierre is forced to accept Otto’s challenge. He shows up alone at the battleground, where Otto, Alain, and their followers are already waiting.

Pierre tries his best to fight, but their physical abilities are on completely different levels. With a single effortless blow, Otto knocks Pierre to the ground. Eric is nowhere to be found.

His best friend lies crumpled on the ground, humiliated after being treated like a joke by Otto and his gang. By the time Eric arrives, it’s too late. There is nothing he can do.

Eric carries Pierre back to their room and treats his injuries, urging him to rest. After making sure Pierre is settled, Eric leaves the room. That night, Eric meets with Maria, and they get intimated.

The next morning, worried about Pierre’s condition, Eric rushes back to the room. But to his surprise, the room is empty. Pierre is gone…

He has taken all of his belongings, leaving no doubt that he isn’t coming back to the school. He leaves only a letter, apologizing for his sudden departure. In the letter, Pierre explains that Eric is a true friend and urges him not to give up.

He encourages Eric to keep fighting against Otto and his followers’ tyranny to put an end to the injustice that plagues the school. Reading the letter, Eric stands up, his true resolve finally coming to the surface. He is determined to avenge Pierre and the other students who have suffered under Otto’s cruelty.

Without hesitation, Eric goes to the dining hall and confronts Delaine, challenging him and Otto to a fight in the arena one hour later. Alone, Eric faces off against Delaine and Von Schenken, both of whom are bigger and stronger than him. But these two young thugs are all talk, relying on the power and influence of their parents.

Eric, too, is a fighter and easily knocks them to the ground. Afterward, Eric threatens Otto, who is left stunned by how easily Eric has defeated his strongest lackeys. Eric tells Otto that he is next.

But before dealing with Otto, Eric heads to the school kitchen to find Maria. A female staff member informs him that Maria has been fired and has already left the school. She hands Eric a letter from Maria.

Just like with Pierre, Eric feels heartbroken by Maria’s sudden departure. One of Otto’s lackeys notices Eric receiving a letter from a school employee and immediately reports it to Otto. Otto then raids Eric’s room and orders his cronies to search through Eric’s belongings.

Eventually, they find Maria’s letter. Otto reads it, and that’s when he discovers Eric and Maria’s secret relationship. With the letter in hand, Otto now has the evidence he needs to get Eric expelled.

He wastes no time and hands over the proof of Eric’s misconduct to the Principal. The Principal summons Eric and, without hesitation, expels him for committing such a serious offense with Marja. Eric accepts the punishment with grace.

However, he asks the Principal to return Maria’s letter to him, as it is the only memory he has of her. The Principal refuses and locks the letter away in his drawer. Determined to avenge all the suffering Otto has caused during his time at Stjernsberg, Eric sets his sights on his nemesis.

After all, he has already been expelled. There is nothing left to lose. He tracks Otto down and finds him walking alone in the woods.

Confronting him, Eric raises a stick and threatens Otto, demanding that he kneel. To Eric’s surprise, Otto complies immediately, dropping to his knees in the sheer panic. Otto, desperate and terrified, offers Eric a bribe, 10,000 to spare his life.

But Eric refuses. As he prepares to strike Otto, the boy breaks down completely, sobbing hysterically and begging for his life. He even vomits in fear…

Eric then cups Otto’s face and tells him that he won’t kill him. He isn’t like Otto, who takes pleasure in oppressing the weak. With that, Eric returns to the school to gather his belongings.

He then remembers Gunnar, the lawyer who has told him to reach out if he ever needs help. Without delay, Eric calls Gunnar. It isn’t long before the lawyer arrives at Stjernsberg.

After explaining his situation to Gunnar, Eric goes to confront the Principal, who is enjoying drinks with the faculty in his office. Eric pleads with him not to expel him from the school and to return Maria’s letter. First, the Principal refuses, but then Gunnar enters the room, threatening to expose the school’s culture of caste discrimination and bullying, which has been intentionally ignored by the Principal and the rest of the staff.

Faced with no other choice, the Principal gives in to all of Eric’s demands and disbands the student council led by Otto. Long story short, Eric is incredibly grateful to Gunnar because it means he can stay in school and overthrow Otto and his followers’ reign of tyranny. Eric enjoys peaceful days at school until graduation.

His mother is proud and thrilled Sid with all the achievements Eric has made during his time at Stjernsberg. However, his stepfather remains displeased because of Eric’s poor behavior evaluation at school. When his stepfather prepares to whip him again, Eric fights back, declaring it will be the last time violence is used in their home.

He then kicks his stepfather out of the house. Some time later, Eric finally reunites with Pierre, who is preparing to continue his studies in Geneva. The two friends promise each other that they will meet again someday.