Taken from the novel of the same name by Pat Conroy, which was based on his experiences at South Carolina´s venerable military academy, The Citadel.
Lords of Discipline tells the story of Will McLean, who doen't belong to the social circle of young men who usually attend the Carolina Military Institute. He is an outsider, a young man wounded by his relationship with his father, and something of a rebel. Will is also a survivor, and he carefully makes his way at the Institute in the early 1960s, bonding with three other cadets amid the brutal hazing and almost threatening camaraderie that are part of life at the school.
He is assigned to protect Pearce, the first black entrant into the racially-biased student body. The racists come in the form of The Ten, a secret group of the elite students. They want Pearce to leave on his own free will, but are prepared to torture him to make it 'his free will'.
After narrowly rescuing Pearce from castration by "The Ten", Will is determined to reveal the group members' identities. His actions lead him to a cover-up at the highest levels of the academy.
