Fact1: Will McLean is senior cadet at Carolina Military Institute, Fact2: school promises to produce men of honor but practices brutal hazing against junior cadets, Fact3: McLean 's mentor asks him to protect Pearce, Fact4: McLean 's roommates participate in breaking in new cadets, Fact5: school 's commanding officer warns him not to be soft
Output: Will McLean is a senior cadet at the Carolina Military Institute, a school that outwardly promises to produce men of honor but practices brutal hazing against the junior cadets. Among these are the overweight Poteete and the Institutes first black cadet, Tom Pearce. McLeans mentor, Lt. Col. Bear Berrineau, asks him to protect Pearce. McLeans roommates at the Institute are Pig Pignetti, Mark Santoro and Tradd St. Croix, the last of whom offers him a key to his parents house. As the term begins, McLeans roommates participate in breaking in the new cadets, while McLean remains aloof. This draws the attention of the schools commanding officer, Lt. Gen. Bentley Durrell, who warns him not to be soft. Both Poteete and Pearce become targets of the Ten, a traditional clandestine group of seniors dedicated to ridding the school of unfit cadets. Poteete is left standing all night on a high ledge and falls to his death, and Pearce is attacked and has the number 10 carved in his back. In addition, Pearce had razor blades placed in his athletic shoes, and suffers multiple, small lacerations. McLeans attempts to protect him are thwarted when someone intercepts their communications. Together with his roommates, he kidnaps Dan McIntyre, a former member of the Ten, and forces him to disclose the location of the Hole, the place where they take cadets to be tortured. McLean and his friends arrive at the Hole just as Pearce is threatened with immolation. They distract the Ten and McLean unmasks one of them, John Alexander. The Ten retaliate by having Pignetti charged with theft and expelled by an Honor Court that they control. Alexander issues a large number of demerits against the rest of McLeans faction, placing them also at risk of expulsion. McLean offers to resign if Alexander will show leniency towards Santoro and Tradd, which Alexander accepts. Before he can submit his resignation, McLean sees McIntyre on campus meeting with Bear and Tradds father. He enters the St. Croix house and discovers the history of the Ten from Mr. St. Croixs journals. Not only have the Ten been operating for years, but Durrell supports their activities. Most shockingly, Tradd is a member and has kept them ahead of McLean at every step. McLean confronts Tradd and throws the house key at him. McLean returns to the Institute and marches into Durrells office. He demands that the senior class, with Pignetti reinstated, be allowed to graduate; that the Ten be disbanded and exposed; and that Durrell resign at the end of the year. If Durrell does not agree, the journals will be sent to the press. Durrell accepts the terms for the sake of the Institute. McLean remains at CMI until graduation day to see the deal through, but he remains disgusted by the corruption and chooses not to graduate himself. As he walks out the gates of the Institute, Bear hands him his class ring, telling him that he earned it.