Elwood Curtis, a bright young African-American scholar navigating the challenging landscape of 1962 Jim Crow-era Tallahassee, Florida, finds himself on the cusp of academic success. He is fortunate enough to be mentored by his dedicated and socially conscious black teacher, who dismisses the narrow-minded views presented in Southern textbooks and actively encourages Elwood to develop his own independent thoughts and perspectives.

Growing up under the loving care of his grandmother, Elwood’s future is shadowed by her fears regarding the consequences of his involvement in the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement. She worries that his activism could provoke the wrath of white society, placing him in grave danger. One fateful day, Elwood receives the incredible news of his acceptance into a prestigious tuition-free accelerated study program at an HBCU. However, his hopes take a dark turn when he hitches a ride to campus with a man in a stolen car. His life spirals out of control as he is subsequently arrested and wrongfully convicted as an accomplice, leading him to be sentenced to the notorious Nickel Academy, a reform school for wayward boys.

At Nickel, underlying racial disparities come to light—while white students enjoy safe and well-maintained accommodations along with personalized attention from staff members, Elwood and other black students are confined to rundown facilities and subjected to a stark lack of educational support. The school exploits them through brutal forced labor, profiting off their backs under the pretense of rehabilitating them. Although they are dangled the idea of early release for good behavior, the grim reality is that they are not freed until they reach the age of eighteen, with some tragically subjected to sexual abuse.

Amidst the menacing atmosphere, Elwood forms a profound bond with another student named Turner. While Elwood radiates hope, fiercely inspired by the nonviolent ethos of the Civil Rights Movement, Turner remains jaded and disillusioned, urging Elwood to keep a low profile to avoid drawing the wrath of the cruel system they are entrapped in. Tension escalates when both boys endure brutal beatings at the hands of the school’s administrators after Elwood is the target of harassment from other students. Despite the trauma, Elwood’s grandmother fights to bring justice by saving money to hire a lawyer, only to have her efforts thwarted when he embezzles her funds, leaving Elwood in dire straits.

The harsh realities of Nickel Academy are further exemplified by a chilling incident where a fellow black student—having either forgotten or refused to concede—is quietly executed by a white school administrator, all part of a sickening gamble during the academy’s annual black-white boxing match.

In those poignant flash-forward scenes, we witness adult Elwood running his own moving company in New York City. However, the scars of his past remain as he learns about the discovery of numerous unmarked graves at the old Nickel campus—a revelation that shakes him to his core, revealing the tragic fate of many black students who died there.

Driven by frustration at the injustices he endured, Elwood begins to write an exposé detailing his harrowing experiences at Nickel during the turbulent 1960s. He manages to persuade a reluctant Turner to help him deliver this damning account to a government inspector. Unfortunately, their pleas fall on deaf ears, and Elwood finds himself facing further torment, punished in the school’s infernal sweat box.

As the clock ticks down to Elwood’s grim fate, Turner uncovers the horrifying truth that Elwood’s life is in imminent danger. In a desperate bid for survival, Elwood and Turner plan to escape, only to be captured due to their lack of transportation. In a tragic turn of events, after enduring the exhausting ordeal in the sweat box, Elwood struggles to keep pace while fleeing into the woods, where he is fatally shot.

Through a poignant montage, we see Turner safely return to Tallahassee, where he breaks the heartbreaking news of Elwood’s demise to his grandmother. Embracing a new life in the North and adopting Elwood’s name as a means of honoring his legacy, Turner builds a family of his own and establishes a stable life. As he navigates his new existence, Turner resolves to testify about the grotesque realities he experienced at Nickel Academy when the government finally initiates an investigation into the institution’s dark past, promising to carry forth the spirit of his cherished friend, Elwood.