The film is about a student, Dexter Riley (
Kurt Russell), as well as his
alma mater,
Medfield College, a struggling private college that receives a
computer from its sponsor, the A.J. Arno company. The trade between the company and Medfield seems harmless, until we find out that the A.J. Arno company's namesake and founder (
Cesar Romero) is really the boss of a
gambling ring with illegal operations all over the state. The computer that the company has given to the school is loaded with illegal information, which is put into Dexter Riley's head after he receives a huge shock while installing a new part into the computer.