"National High School Photography Championship Tournament", also known as "Shashin Koshien" is an event held annually in Higashikawa, Hokkaido, Japan's town of photography. m.77mi.cc Every summer, Shashin Koshien decides which school has the best photography club. Oyama, Sakura, and Mirai from Kansai Academy in Osaka were encouraged by their advisor to join with the aim of letting them experience "a world where people who are challenged could see". Meanwhile, Tsubakiyama Shota, a senior at Sakuragaoka Gakuen in Tokyo is the only member of his school's photography club. Other members resigned thinking that photography won't help in getting them to a university. In spite of principal Saeki objecting to his plans, Shota was still eager to join, forming a team with his childhood friend and a junior volunteer. With over 500 schools all over the country, only 18 schools would be chosen to participate in the event. Competitors fight to capture the beauty of Japan and the human spirit.

After finally passing his teacher's exam, Miwa (Yukiyoshi Ozawa) devoted himself to teaching in a rustic primary school. He struggles to get through to his students, until he creates a class project to raise fireflies to fly over it once again. All students, even the reserved girl Hikari (Risako Sugaya), become passionately involved in the project. However, it brings them into conflict with parents and the school, one problem after another stands in his way.

改编自宗田理同名小说。
青叶中学是一所教学严谨的学校，老师只重成绩。八代（佐野史郎 饰）和酒井老师（仓田保昭 饰）对学生轻则斥责，重则体罚，孩子们被压得苦不堪言。
一天，以菊地英治（菊池健一郎 饰）为首的8名初一男生集体旷课，来到自卫队的废弃兵工厂，将这里命名为“解放区”。不久后中山瞳（宫泽理惠 饰）和另外两名女孩也加入其中，展开了和学校的对抗。
习惯学生们服从命令的老师们恼羞成怒，和孩子的家长来到兵工厂，软硬兼施，企图进入这里，但都被孩子们用各种方法赶了出去。双方对抗升级，老师们找来了机动部队，孩子们竟发现了一辆坦克！
他们的抗争能否成功？