Nick returns from summer vacation to discover that the middle school has become the Gerald R. Ford High School for troubled teenagers, and immediately locks horns with the new principal, brilliant Dr. Katherine Emerson. She is a college professor from the Midwest who has written a book about urban education but has yet to test her theories in real life -- and is unimpressed with Nick's unorthodox teaching style. Already at a loss over how to reach the older students, Nick suffers a bigger loss when Elana calls to end their relationship.