Choo (16), a dropout, returns to her elite all-girls Chinese school. Her little rebellions against tyrannical teachers attract the admiration of three other misfits. She’s drawn to them too and confides about the ghost in her room. The new friends’ idea: using Sofia’s camcorder to evidence the ghost.
On a field trip, they meet an unlikely kindred spirit – a disobedient Old Man. Inspired by his stories about the triads that ruled the streets of colonial Singapore and defied the authorities openly, they decide to form a gang. But how do you form a gang in modern Singapore, where even chewing gum is illegal?
As they take over school corridors and city streets with their gang activities, buried national histories start to surface in unexpected ways. The four also uncover hidden dreams for future selves that deviate from the expected path.
But after the teachers discover the camcorder and the girls are accused of being real gangsters, the four are separated and closely monitored. As the exams get closer, unspoken rules around social class and status threaten to tear them apart. Choo feels isolated in her refusal to conform to the pressures of a system obsessed with creating obedient citizens. But she fights back. After the exams, Choo gathers the gang for one last fantastical hurrah.