University lecturer Dr Leah Dale has always prided herself on her academic integrity so when final year student Rose, submits a suspiciously top-grade essay, Leah is quick to call her out. But there’s more going on than meets the eye as Rose takes the challenge as a personal affront, and what begins as a seemingly open and shut case of academic deception soon spirals out of control.

Lin, a genius who cheats for revenge against the school. Hoping to reclaim the tea money her father paid to the Headmistress; Bank, a son who is dutiful to his mother but has to cheat because fate is always playing tricks with him; Pat, the son of a wealthy family who cheats because he's pressured by his father; and Grace. it's not clear why this young girl cheats. Is it because she's swayed by her friends?

Based on Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey's iconic novel, Puberty Blues tells the story of two girls, Debbie and Sue, of innocence lost and experience gained against the backdrop of Australia in the 1970s.