The Skulls 2000

For Luke McNamara an invitation to join the prestigious secret college organization, The Skulls, is a dream come true. Unlike many of his New Haven classmates, Luke gained admission to the Ivy covered halls of learning through hard work and the crushing burden of student loans. And he knows it will take much more than good grades and being captain of the school's championship varsity crew team to secure a spot in a top law school. It's going to take a great deal of money and recommendations from prominent alumni-neither of which are at his disposal, despite his outstanding grades and years of sacrifice. His growing affection for his close friend Chloe is tempered by the realization that he can never hope to be accepted by her upper-crust family. Then, overnight, Luke's fortunes change when he is "tapped" for entry into the highly selective secret society known as The Skulls. Acceptance into the Skulls would ensure Luke a place at the table, and guarantee him both the financial means and the connections to make it into law school. Only by entering that exclusive world can he ever hope to woo Chloe and win her family's approval. But not everyone shares Luke's rosy view of the organization, least of all his best friend and roommate Will Beckford, an enterprising journalism major who casts a cold eye on The Skulls. "If it's secret and it's elite, it can't be good," Will cautions. As part of his initiation, Luke and the other members of the senior class who have been tapped for admission must partake in a series of traditional rituals to test their loyalty, honesty and strength of character. Those who succeed will be rewarded with brotherhood, influence and money. Just when it seems that everything in Luke's life is finally going right, it all goes horribly wrong. Unbeknownst to Luke, his friend Will has also decided to make a name for himself, as a journalist, by infiltrating The Skulls' inner sanctum and writing an expose of their prized secret rituals. When Will commits suicide under suspicious circumstances, Luke is forced to confront the possibility that he was murdered for attempting to reveal the secrets of The Skulls. Together with Chloe, they embark on a deadly game of cat and mouse. In trying to uncover the truth behind Will's death, Luke comes to realize just how powerful The Skulls organization really is. And he learns that the truth, like success, comes at a very high price.