Santiago, capital of Chile during the government of controversial that is chosen president Salvador Allende. Father McEnroe affirms his leftist viewpoints by introducing a program at the prestigious"collegio" (Catholic prep school) St. Patrick to allow free entrance of a few proletarian kids. One of them is Pedro Machuca, slum-raised son of the cleaning lady in the liberal-bourgeois home of Gonzalo Infante. Yet the brand newest classmates eventually become friends, ironically protesting as Gonzalo gets embraced by the slum family and gang of Pedro. However, the adults stink that too, maybe not at least when Pinochet's coup ousts Allende, and fans such as McEnroe.