When high school teacher Jim Desmond takes on a class of ?Specials, ? he is totally unaware of the troubles waiting to ambush him. Initially confident, it isn?t long before his competence and esteem are severely tested by students who regard school as a special kind of hell and learning as a diabolical punishment. Desmond's life is further complicated by his love for G. G., the remote and beautiful blonde music teacher who knows how to inflict pain. It is a year when many will learn that secrets cannot be kept, that one-size-fits-all education isn?t for everyone, and life's lessons are not necessarily found in text books and theory.