Inspired by real events and based on the acclaimed novel by Tod Strasser, The Wave tells the story of a high school teacher's unusual class experiment. In an attempt to demonstrate what life is like under a dictatorship, the teacher forms a social unit with his students. Despite being unsure at first, they start to respond to and respect their new-found class unity. As the students boundaries are pushed, things begin to spiral out of control and this newly found cult starts to take on a life of its own.