One night around 8 o’clock, Principal Ferguson hears a scream coming from the school gym. Investigating, she finds the disemboweled corpse of Rockdale High School student Maude Lewis, a talented gymnast who often stayed at school well into the evening to practice. Maude’s body, seemingly boneless and dangling from the balance beam, is so viciously battered that Principal Ferguson believes Maude could not have been murdered by a human. The Rockdale police interrogate Tony Rivers, another student who was in the school building that night. Since his father recently passed away from brain cancer, Tony works after hours as a custodian to help make ends meet. The police find a motive—Maude had rejected Tony’s prom proposal—and arrest Tony. Maude’s murder strengthens rumors about a teenage werewolf in town. Other residents had previously spotted strange footprints, seen animalistic figures, and heard lupine howls; other towns have had similarly savage assaults. Students who know Tony—as well as the case’s lead investigator, Detective Donovan—believe he is innocent and that the teenage werewolf remains on the loose. Not only is Tony skinny, weak, and physically incapable of the murder, but the police had also found a tuft of coarse brown hair clenched in Maude’s fist. After several weeks of peace, Rockdale gradually lifts its safety restrictions and its residents let down their guards. But one night, when two high school seniors—Helen Bissell and Arlene Marshall—walk home from a study session at the public library, they are attacked by the werewolf. Helen is killed and Arlene’s face is severely disfigured. Arlene shares with Donovan that the werewolf was wearing a Rockdale Rams letter jacket. Tony is released. A town meeting is called. Arlene gives an account of her run-in with the werewolf, and Donovan publicly apologizes for the police’s dismissal of the werewolf rumors. The mayor and the police chief announce, to the chagrin of the students, the establishment of a strict curfew and a moratorium on extracurricular activities. Parents and adults, however, argue for even stricter policies—having more police officers on the streets, equipping those officers with more guns, and even locking away all the children. The town officials also plan to cancel the Junior-Senior prom, but Arlene says she has always dreamed of going to prom, and so it is still held. On prom night, Arlene attends with Tony. Though the students find the prom underwhelming and over-chaperoned, they still have a good time. Arlene wins prom queen. When she goes on stage and accepts her crown, she starts to transform into a werewolf—as do all the other students. Arlene decapitates Principal Ferguson, and the many teenage werewolves kill and devour all the adults present. Refusing to be tamed, the students howl at the moon.