Painfully shy Todd Anderson has been sent to the school where his popular older brother was valedictorian. His room-mate, Neil, although exceedingly bright and popular, is very much under the thumb of his overbearing father. The two, along with their other friends, meet Professor Keating, their new English teacher, who tells them of the Dead Poets Society, and encourages them to go against the status quo. Each, in their own way, does this, and are changed for life.

Originally, Professor Keating was supposed to die of leukemia. But the director decided to have the story focus on the boys instead.

John Keating:
No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Near the beginning, we hear the honks of geese as birds fly past. These birds look like starlings.

: Suite III in D "Alegro"
Composed by Georg Friedrich Händel (as George Frideric Handel)
Performed by Stuttgarter Kammerorchester (as The Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra)
Conducted by Karl Münchinger
Courtesy of London Records
A Division of PolyGram Classics