New principal Dr Peters arrives on a mission to improve grades and discipline, but a mass brawl and the threat of further violence gives him a swift reality check. Meanwhile, high-achieving pupil Jalena begins college applications, but with college fees costing more than a house, will she even be able to afford to go? Male cheerleader Vernon and star football player Kordel each prepare for the big Friday night football game. Can a win for the school help to get Dr Peters' ambitions back on track?
Rendull, captain of the basketball team, is handsome, charismatic and popular. He seems to have the world at his feet, but a revelation about his personal life throws his plans for the future into disarray. Cheerleader Vernon has moved out of his family home and is sleeping on his best friend's floor. With a crucial basketball game coming up, can he convince his estranged mother to come to see him perform with the cheerleading squad? Meanwhile, star pupil Jalena finds out whether she has been accepted into her dream college, and Dr Peters tries to rehouse a homeless student.
The school's sports stars are busy trying to secure athletic scholarships to college, but football player Kordel's dreams of leaving Orangeburg - and experiencing a more ethnically diverse America - seem beyond his grasp. We meet Mykenzie, one of the few white students at the school. Her mum recently sent her to the school to try to combat ethnic segregation in the town, but when Mykenzie invites a number of new friends to her 16th-birthday party, things don't quite go to plan. Meanwhile, star pupil Jalena tries to recover from some disappointing news, and basketball captain Rendull seeks some fatherly advice on his future.
Student TJ has style, charm and intelligence. He also has a father serving a long jail sentence. Determined to avoid the same fate, TJ is working hard at school and developing a thriving business customising trainers, but one moment of madness throws his future into sudden doubt. With his school basketball career behind him, and with no sign of a college scholarship, Rendull is struggling to face up to his responsibilities, including the upcoming birth of his daughter. Can some tough love from his mum help him to step up to the plate in time for the big family baby shower? As spring semester comes to an end, cheerleader Vernon makes an impulsive decision, and school principal Dr Peters is driven to breaking point by some outrageous student behaviour.
As the seniors prepare for their vintage Hollywood-themed prom, two members of the organising committee, Vernon and Breezy, are no longer on speaking terms. TJ anxiously awaits the results of his expulsion hearing and makes a visit to his dad in prison. Mykenzie gets into some serious trouble, and her mum, Linda, launches an initiative to try to help racial integration in Orangeburg. With just days to go before the prom, Rendull is anticipating the birth of his daughter, and Dr Peters makes a life-changing decision.
It is the end of the school year, and Orangeburg-Wilkinson is still reeling from Dr Peters' news. With just a few weeks to go until graduation, a number of seniors, including Vernon, are still at risk of failing. Can he improve his grades in time to graduate? Following the birth of his daughter, Rendull is adjusting to fatherhood, but a mistake puts his chances of attending graduation in jeopardy. Star pupil Jalena continues to struggle to find the funding to attend university and has the responsibility of writing the senior's graduation ceremony speech. As the school closes for another year, the class of 2016 walk across the stage and into their new lives.
