On Saturday March 24th, 1985, 5 students - John Bender "The Criminal", Allison Reynolds "The Basket Case", Claire Standish "The Princess", Brain Johnson "The Brain" and Andrew Clark "The Athlete" - from completely different social groups are sent to nine hour detention at Shermer High School. Due to their significant differences, they start out as islands and don’t get along. At the beginning of the movie, there is much conflict amongst the group and the characters have very little in common. As the day progresses, friendships are developed and more is to be discovered about their similarities and interests than originally thought. They are all faced with life's pressures and are challenged to deal with their individual issues.