In 1959, the senior class of an elite Vermont boy's prep school was caught flat-footed by the unorthodox methods of the newly hired English teacher, alumnus John Keating (Robin Williams). His bid to inspire his young charges to live their lives on their terms, however, finds him running afoul of the academy's rigid headmaster (Norman Lloyd). Peter Weir's rousing crowd-pleaser, winner of the Best Original Screenplay Oscar, also stars Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, Josh Charles.