A rebellious youth sentenced to a reformatory for robbing a bakery rises through the ranks of the institution through his prowess as a long distance runner. During his solitary runs, reveries of his life and times before his incarceration lead him to re-evaluate his privileged status as a prized athlete.

故事發生在1968年的德國，少年沃爾夫岡（Louis Hofmann 飾）的母親再嫁，他和繼父之間的關係很是緊張，在一場衝突之後，繼父將沃爾夫岡送入了感化院之中，沃爾夫岡就此開始了充滿了痛苦與折磨的監獄生活。 倔強的沃爾夫岡不願意淪為殘暴統治的奴隸，一次又一次的反抗掙扎換來的卻只有傷痕纍纍，唯一支撐著他的，是記憶中來自母親的溫暖。沃爾夫岡決定和同伴安東（Langston Beckford-Uibel 飾）一起逃跑，兩人歷經千難萬險，最終回到了小鎮上。可是，當母親看見沃爾夫岡時，卻並未表現得如他所想像的一般高興，更殘酷的是，沒過多久，他便再度被繼父和母親重新送回了感化院。

Inmates fight, pair off, try suicide and attempt escape at a British reform school for girls.