For generations, Welton Academy students have been groomed to live lives of conformity and tradition—until a charismatic new professor, John Keating, inspires them to think for themselves, live life to the fullest and "Carpe Diem." His unconventional approach awakens the spirits of the students and inspires them to make their lives extraordinary, but he soon draws the wrath of a disapproving faculty when an unexpected tragedy strikes the school.