Her class of un-teachable students has split into groups based on race, doesn't listen to authority, and hardly goes to class. But based off of one note she intercepts about the Holocaust, she unites the entire class in only one year. How does she do it? Through the power of writing! Each student gets their own composition notebook for writing of the injustice and abuse in their life, and by the end, many of them are ready for college. The story is based off a true story, but the movie contains none of the real qualities of actual human beings, especially teacher Erin Gruwell, who fights the indifferent world and is beloved for it.