"Degrassi Junior High" follows the exploits of Canadian youngsters in the late 1980s. The first soap opera for kids, "Degrassi Junior High" doesn't sugarcoat the problems facing Canadian (or American) youth. It focuses on such formerly taboo topics as alcoholism, interracial relationships, HIV/AIDS, drug abuse and homosexuality. Most of the action takes place outside the classroom, as the students interact in school hallways or lunchrooms, or after school.