When a book on Lenny Bruce and a short-wave radio falls into the right young, disaffected hands, the FCC has its work cut out for it. The quiet new kid, Mark (Christian Slater), starts a pirate radio broadcast under the alter ego "Hard Harry." Mark cries injustice and spins punk and rap records from his basement at night for a growing fan base. But when the ultra-conservative school administration starts swinging, Hard Harry's fans rally.