Ronnie and Danny discover that Brooke is dating a 27 year old man and report it to Steven. Steven is outraged at this discovery and demands Brooke stop seeing him. She disagrees at first but the next morning, her boyfriend Rupert reports to Steven that the two have broken up. Brooke later debates leaving Winslow High but Steven convinces her not to.After Harry getting sick of his students being considered dumb, he challenges Guber to a debate in preperation for a big upcoming debate for Scott's debate team. He accepts and the two teams practice to no end. When it comes debate time, both teams deliver but Scott's team comes out victourious but only by three points.

Violence and compassion commingle in this insightful episode. In the main plot, a rebellious, Irish-American teen squares off against an offended, African-American classmate in a racially incited brawl that distresses their caring teacher and leads to a more contentious fray with principal Harper. In other storylines, Winslow teachers undergo peer evaluations where Ronnie reluctantly grades Zach, with whom she has a somewhat romantic involvement; and Marla seeks to arrange medical help for a hearing-impaired student, whose parents aren't receptive.