Trama

A tough kid comes to a new high school and begins muscling his way into the drug scene. This is a typical morality play of the era, filled with a naive view of drugs, nihilistic beat poetry, and some incredible '50s slang.

A tough kid comes to a new high school and begins muscling his way into the drug scene. As he moves his way up the ladder, a schoolteacher tries to reform him, his aunt tries to seduce him, and the "weedheads" are eager to use his newly found enterprise, but he has his own agenda. After an altercation involving fast cars, hidden drugs, and police, he's accepted by the drug kingpin and is off into the big leagues. A typical morality play of the era, filled with a naive view of drugs, nihilistic beat poetry, and some incredible '50s slang.—Ed Sutton <esutton@mindspring.com>

According to the police, the scourge of drugs has hit Santa Bellow High School. At the same time, insolent and brash transfer student Tony Baker has just arrived at the school, having been kicked out of his previous school and having been put back several times. Tony makes a strong impression amongst both the staff and students. With the former, English teacher and guidance counselor Arlene Williams hopes to provide a positive influence on Tony, despite him always hitting on her. With the latter, Tony quickly infiltrates the Wheeler-Dealers, the local gang involved in the drug scene, and which includes directly or by association J.I. Coleridge and Joan Staples, a marijuana addict. Tony wants to make it big within this setting as the dealer of choice, but he has to find out who the major supplier in the area is. Maneuvering through the drug trade, Tony finally makes his way to the top of the local supply chain. But just before the big deal, a withdrawal laden Joan may cause some problems for Tony before he can show his true intentions.—Huggo

Tony Baker (Russ Tamblyn) enrolls at Santo Bello High School. He has recently moved from Chicago and is living with his married aunt Gwen (Mamie Van Doren). He immediately makes an impression on everyone at the school by acting disrespectfully to the principal, flirting with English teacher Arlene Williams (Jan Sterling), carrying a huge wad of money around, and putting the make on Joan Staples (Diane Jergens), the girlfriend of J.I. Coleridge (John Drew Barrymore). Tony informs J.I. that he is replacing him as head of the rowdy Wheeler-Dealers, a local gang. When J.I.'s gang threatens Tony, he pulls out a switchblade and chases them away.

At home, the promiscuous Gwen tries to get Tony to make love to her, but he resists her advances. He is more interested in trying to get a date with Arlene. She believes that he as a nice streak despite the awful way he acts. But Arlene will not date Tony, for she'd rather try to reform him from his bad ways.

The principal has been informed that marijuana cigarettes have been found in the school and there is a serious drug problem. The local police commissioner is waging war on narcotic usage. Tony discovers that Joan is hooked on smoking marijuana. When J.I. won't acquire joints for her until she comes up with the money, Tony tells Joan that he will supply the money if she will introduce him to the contract. Joan starts dating Tony. At a pool party, Tony and Joan discover that a classmate, named Doris, has become a heroin addict.

Tony buys "grass" from local drug dealer Jukey Judlow (Burt Douglas), who tells him that he can buy it in quantity from someone at the local car show rally. That person turns out to be J.I. Tony tells J.I. that he wants to purchase heroin and cocaine so he can sell it for a greater profit. He wants to meet with the supplier Mr. A (Jackie Coogan).

During the car race, Joan gets high on grass and pushes the peddle on Tony's car. Grass falls out from Tony's hubcaps just as the police drive up and everyone there is arrested. At the police station, Joan's parents arrive to bail her out and are angry with the police for arresting their "innocent" daughter and other "innocent" children. Mr. A bails Tony out of jail. Mr. A's henchman Bix (Ray Anthony) drives Tony from the jail to meet with him. Mr. A turns out to be the pianist at a local hangout. Tony sees Doris in the next room. She is in agony from withdrawal in which Mr. A will give her a fix if she'll join his update prostitution ring. Mr. A will not sell Tony any heroin and allow him to become one of his dealers unless he can prove he is legitimate. Tony pretends to shoot up and fools him. The drug deal will be made later that night.

Stoned and needing more grass, Joan waits in Tony's room. She discovers that he has tape-recorded the conversation with Mr. A. Having no time for explanations, Tony goes to make the money payment and asks Arlene to watch over Joan. But J.I. and Jukey show up at the house and slap around Joan, Arlene and Gwen. They learn of the tape recording and call Mr. A to warn him that Tony (whose real name is Mike Wilson) an undercover narcotics agent,

Tony/Mike meets Mr. A at the hangout. Tony's police contact/handler Quinn (Charles Chaplin Jr.) whom has gotten a job at the hangout as a waiter, recruits Steve Bentley and the Rangers (a club of local high school football types) to help Tony. When Mr. A tries to shoot Tony, Tony throws heroin into his face and there is a huge fight. Quinn is shot, but Mr. A and Bix are eventually captured.

In the end, J.I. and Jukey are sent to reform school. Mr. A and Bix are sent to the state prison. Joan only smokes real tobacco cigarettes now. Gwen, who isn't really Tony's aunt but his undercover partner, no longer goes after every man in sight as she returns home to her husband. The jobs of Arlene (the teacher) and Mike Wilson (the undercover police narc) are not over.