In The Rejected, Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) is a teacher highly disliked by the student body at Barton Academy, the boarding school where he works. While students and teachers return to their homes for the holidays, Mr. Hunham is assigned to be responsible for the students who need to stay at school for the holiday. During the task, he needs to deal with Angus (Dominic Sessa), a rebellious teenager who is mourning the death of his father.