: Concerned that his son is ready to drop out of Grand Lakes University, Thornton decides to join him as a freshman to prove that education is valuable.

: Thornton quickly becomes the life of the party, using his vast wealth to bypass academic rigor—hiring experts to do his homework and even commissioning author Kurt Vonnegut to write a paper on his own books.

: His flamboyant lifestyle clashes with stuffy administrators, particularly the suspicious Dean Martin and snooty Professor Barbay.