Marti Perkins, a law student at Lancer University, discovers that her scholarship has been cancelled and her well-meaning but irresponsible mother, Wanda has neglected to inform her. Broke and out of options, Marti realizes the only way she can stay in school is to win a place on the Hellcats Lancer;s legendary cheer squad and the scholarship that comes with it. Despite a confrontation with the Hellcats peppy team captain, Savannah, Marti wins over coach Vanessa Lodge, makes the squad and is thrust into a competitive world unlike anything she has ever known. With her best friend Dan by her side, Marti navigates her new world as a cheerleader and Savannah’s new roommate, while trying to avoid any interaction with squad member Alice Verdura, who is instantly jealous when she realizes that Marti has caught the eye of Alice’s ex-boyfriend Lewis Flynn.

Marti is horrified when she discovers Wanda in the audience at qualifiers and banishes her from the stadium. After Charlotte, Savannah’s sister and captain of the Hellcats’ rival team from Memphis Christian college, falls and suffers a serious injury, Savannah is torn between going with her sister to the hospital and staying to compete. Savannah tells Marti her parents stopped talking to her when she decided to transfer from Memphis Christian to the secular Lancer University, forcing Marti to re-think her stance on Wanda attending qualifiers. Meanwhile, Lewis blasts Alice for putting all their scholarships at risk, and Dan takes an interest in Savannah.

Savannah is nervous about her first date with Dan so Marti, Lewis and the rest of the Hellcats team accompany her on their date which ends in disaster. Meanwhile, Marti tries to impress her law professor Julian in the hopes of joining his legal team but he doubts she can balance both her studies and cheerleading. Desperate to get her spot back, Alice turns to pills to kill the pain so she can get medically approved to re-join the team. Vanessa decides to come clean with Derrick about her affair with Red...

Lewis asks Marti out but she turns him down. Alice tells Lewis she will stop taking drugs if he helps her get back in shape as a flier, but then after a sweaty workout the two end up having sex. Meanwhile, Savannah takes Dan to her parents’ house for dinner and a fight erupts after Savannah’s mom demands that she stop seeing Dan... Wanda convinces Marti to give Lewis a chance so she tells him she’s ready to date but he has second thoughts.

Savannah talks the team into letting Dan direct their bid video against Alice’s wishes, but when things don’t go as planned, Savannah may have to forfeit her role as captain. Meanwhile, Marti decides to investigate further into Julian’s case, and Red tells Derrick he plans to win Vanessa back, which prompts a fight between the two men.