At the behest of her new stepfather, Joe (Gary Cole), a straight-laced ex-military man hellbent on teaching her discipline, easy-going teenager Kelly Collins (Hilary Duff) enrolls in the George Washington Military School. Kelly struggles to adjust to the demands of her new environment while facing the abuse of her commanding officer, Jennifer Stone (Christy Carlson Romano). Kelly almost drops out -- until she falls for a hunky classmate (Shawn Ashmore) and decides to join the drill team.