Mel Leavitt is an eighteen-year-old high school senior who has dreams of becoming a slam poet, even though her parents don't approve. She met many people when she first began her slam poetry career, such as members of the New West State College writing club, the Power Poets, who she has encountered problems with. The club president, Maryse, was a good friend to Mel in junior year when the club began. However, something changed when Maryse told people about Mel's huge crush on the club's slam poet champion, James Slater. The dashingly handsome James Slater knew about Mel's crush on him and took advantage of her over the summer, leaving behind emotional scars. Now that Mel is a senior, she has a slam poetry career and a senior project. She decides to base her project on her passion, slam poetry, to which her parents disapprove of. Mel knows that in order to complete and pass this project, she has to work with Maryse and James, something she doesn't look forward to. When Maryse's reign over the Power Poets club becomes tyrannical, and with James by her side, they seem almost unstoppable. No one has the courage to stand up to Maryse until she pushes Mel around. Mel then decides to stand up to Maryse in the only way she knows how, through poetry.