Following a brawl in the laundry of a Missouri women’s prison, inmates Carrie Rafferty, Mitzi Marshall and Susan “Chicago” Keller are summoned to the warden’s office, where they are berated for their consistently disruptive behavior. He offers them the opportunity for parole if they participate in an experiment at a Kansas City, Missouri, college, which would correct their anti-social tendencies while furthering their education. The girls consent, and are transported to Kansas City by Detective Vernon Whitehead. The experiment is to be conducted by psychologist Dr. Charles Blalock, who assigns three students, Phil, Leroy and John, as personal therapists to Carrie, Mitzi and “Chicago,” respectively. The boys accept their assignments enthusiastically, triggering a jealous reaction from Sharon, John’s girl friend. At Dr. Blalock’s home, his wife, Connie Blalock, and their butler, Milton, prepare bedrooms for the three subjects. Upon their arrival, Detective Vernon and the girls are greeted by the Blalocks’ son, Carter, who is taken with Carrie’s beauty. Dr. Blalock is detained at a restaurant, where he receives a $150,000 check from an unnamed benefactor, as payment for conducting the experiment. Following his return home, Blalock administers medication to the girls, describing the pills as tranquilizers to counteract the combined stresses of therapy and college life. “Chicago” declines the medication, believing that nothing can be as stressful as prison, but Blalock insists that the treatment is integral to the experiment. Detective Vernon is assigned to administer the pills and monitor the three subjects via closed-circuit television. That night, at a party given by the Blalocks for the girls and their new classmates, Carrie ignores Phil and stays close to Carter, while Sharon’s jealousy grows over John and “Chicago.” Mitzi’s nude dash into the swimming pool prompts the other students to join her. However, Connie is not amused when “Chicago” pushes her into the water. She summons her husband inside and reminds him that her wealth and imagination have maintained their family’s elegant lifestyle, but now it is his turn to contribute. After the party, the girls chat, laugh and undress, as Detective Vernon observes them on television monitors. The following day, Carrie expresses her suspicions about the experiment to Mitzi, who does not take her seriously. Later, Carrie falls in love with Carter after he wins a professional drag race and defends her honor when she is insulted by a rival driver. However, when they try to make love, Carrie discovers that her sex drive is impaired. Upon Carrie’s return to the house, Blalock summons her to his study, aware that she has been avoiding Phil. He offers to become her counselor, hinting at a sexual relationship. Carrie feigns ignorance of his intent and declines his offer. Later, Carrie advises Carter to keep their relationship a secret, or his father may become jealous. During a therapy session, Blalock investigates Mitzi’s fascination with penguins by placing her in a hypnotic trance and mentally regressing her to age ten. She relives the horror of being molested by a priest, while Leroy observes from the monitor room. As the session ends, Carrie complains to Blalock that the pills are sapping her energy. The doctor disputes the assertion, but offers to pay for a night on the town for the girls. He also informs her that Phil has resigned from the program, and Blalock will now be her personal therapist. When she rejects him, he insists that she end her relationship with Carter. During the girls’ night out, “Chicago” joins an illicit crap game, but is quickly cheated out of her winnings and threatens to get even. Their moods improve when Mitzi discovers a large stuffed penguin in a toy store window. They throw a trashcan through the window and run down the street with the stolen penguin. Moments later, they encounter several classmates, including John and Sharon, who invite them to an amusement park. Shortly after arriving, “Chicago” and John go to a secluded area to make love. However, John is overwhelmed by her obsessive, violent desires, and when Sharon comes to his rescue, “Chicago” tries to drown her in a barrel of water. In class, Carrie becomes overwrought during a discussion on ethics, revealing her anxiety over being used in a drug trial. Believing that she is speaking for her fellow students, she declares, “I am the student body,” and runs from the classroom. That night, Blalock telephones his benefactor, telling him of the girls’ increasingly aggressive behavior and begging to end the experiment. Connie overhears and insists that her husband honor his commitment, because they are in desperate need of money. Blalock orders Detective Vernon to install two more surveillance cameras and pay special attention to Carrie, unaware that she and Carter have already discovered proof of the experiment’s illegality. Meanwhile, Leroy visits Mitzi in her room under the pretext of a therapeutic exercise called “Free Association.” He dons a costume that approximates the look of a penguin, in hopes of triggering a sexual response from her. Instead, Mitzi strikes him repeatedly with a small wooden box, and, believing him dead, drives away in one of the Blalocks’ cars. Detective Vernon alerts the Blalocks and the doctor notifies the police. When Carrie confronts Blalock with her evidence, Connie Blalock joins the conversation and declares, “In our family, everything is legal, even crime.” She threatens Carrie with a return to prison and sends her back to her room, then tells her husband to dispose of the pills and lock the evidence in their vault. Unable to elude the police, Mitzi climbs a fire escape to the top of a building, from which she threatens to jump. At sunrise, Carrie appears on the fire escape, assuring Mitzi that Leroy is not seriously injured, that she was not responsible for her behavior, and their freedom in imminent. On the ground, Detective Vernon arrests Blalock, who blames Connie for his transgressions. Mitzi comes to her senses, and she and Carrie climb down the stairs.