In New York, armed men hijack a subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers. Even if it's paid, how could they get away?

Sylvia, a novice schoolteacher, is hired to teach English in a high school, but she’s met with an apathetic faculty, a delinquent student body and an administration that drowns its staff in paperwork. The following days go from bad to worse as Sylvia struggles to reach her most troubled students.