He is young, decent, and hardworking. He revolts just once and pays for it with his life. Marcus Messner begins his studies in 1951 at the conservative college of Winesburg in Ohio. As the Korean War enters its second year, Marcus experiences a story that revolves around inexperience, resistance, sex, courage, and error. Hardly has he arrived at college when he encounters a first, completely disturbing experience with a fragile young girl, and he faces a form of discrimination that outrages him. Against his will, Marcus becomes a rebel, against his classmates, but also against his father, and he remains stubborn until the bitter end.