In California, Maria has awful nightmares and visions of her sister who committed suicide one year ago. Her roommate Chris invites Maria to travel with her and her friends Tanya and Rose on vacation to her uncle's house in Saguaro, Arizona, to relax. When the group arrives in the house, they immediately go to a night-club to have fun and chase some local guys for sex; however, the evil El Charro is seeking Maria, killing her friends with his machete.

Katherine Watson is a recent UCLA graduate hired to teach art history at the prestigious all-female Wellesley College, in 1953. Determined to confront the outdated mores of society and the institution that embraces them, Katherine inspires her traditional students, including Betty and Joan, to challenge the lives they are expected to lead.