The F4 are the rulers of the elite school, Eitoku Academy. Tsukushi Makino, a so-called "commoner," gets on the bad side of their leader, Tsukasa Domyoji, when she protects Makiko Endo. After being bullied, Tsukushi decides to stand up to Tsukasa and declares war on him.

Tsukasa becomes romantically interested in Tsukushi after being punched by her. He kidnaps her and gives her a makeover in an attempt to win her over. She rejects him, telling him he cannot buy her. The next day, Tsukushi's classmates, Yuriko Asai and her friends, invite her to a party.

Yuriko, Minako Yamano, and Erika Ayuhara reveal their true colors by embarrassing Tsukushi at the party. She manages to get back at them. The next day, the girls reveal that Rui Hanazawa, whom Tsukushi has a crush on, is in love with Shizuka Todo. Tsukushi becomes depressed.

Tsukushi and her parents go on vacation with Kazuya to Atami. There she is greeted by Tsukasa standing atop his yacht. Shizuka invites her to a party they are holding that night and helps her get ready. Tsukushi feels like "Cinderella" for a brief time until she sees Rui dancing with Shizuka.

The fall term at Eitoku Academy that Tsukushi has been dreading starts. In contrast, Tsukasa gets there early in order to perform a childish prank on her. He later finds Rui with Tsukushi at the emergency exit. Yuriko and her friends show him a video of the two, which sends Tsukasa into a rage.

Feeling he has been made a fool of, Tsukasa goes on a rampage throughout the school until a teacher stops him. He later lies in wait for Tsukushi at the emergency stairwell. When she shows up, Tsukasa attacks her and forces a kiss on her. He only stops once she starts to cry.

Tsukushi attends Shizuka's birthday party with Kazuya and Yuki Matsuoka. There Shizuka makes the announcement that she will be giving up her family name in order to become a lawyer in France. Meanwhile, Tsukushi feels awkward about seeing Tsukasa for the first time since the incident.

Concerned for Rui, Tsukushi begs Shizuka to stay in Japan. Shizuka clearly explains her reasons for leaving. Rui overhears the conversation and becomes angry. After Shizuka leaves, Tsukushi yells at Rui to follow her. He reveals that he was already planning to.

A photo of Tsukushi and Tsukasa causes everyone at school to believe they are dating. Yuriko and her friends attempt to befriend Tsukushi. They take her to a club, where she meets Thomas. Tsukushi wakes up the next morning in a hotel room with no recollection of what happened.

Thomas turns out to be the childhood friend of Sakurako Sanjo. He promises to keep their night a secret if she sees him again. Meanwhile, Tsukushi helps Sakurako with her fear of boys by introducing her to the F4. She later sees the supposedly innocent Sakurako at a club.

Eventually, Tsukasa rescues Tsukushi from her classmates. He takes her to his house, where she has a bath. After he treats her wounds, Tsukasa confesses her feelings to her and kisses her. The next day, he punishes those who attacked Tsukushi. Seconds later, Rui makes a surprise return.

When Rui comes back from France, Tsukasa tells him that he and Tsukushi are dating. Rui later flippantly asks her if she will go out with him. Meanwhile, Sakurako is being bullied after the others discover an old photo of her. Tsukushi ignores it at first, but steps in eventually.

Tsukasa catches Tsukushi and Rui kissing. Back at school, he kicks Rui out of the F4 in a public fight. Tsukushi, who feels horrible for hurting Tsukasa, tries to apologize to him but he walks pass her. Later, Tsukushi breaks down and cries in front of Rui. He asks her out on a first date.

Tsukasa declares that he will have Tsukushi and Rui expelled from school. He blackmails the principal by threatening to pull his family's funding. His sister storms into the office. She suggests they settle the matter through sports. Rui proposes a three-on-three basketball match.

Before the match, Tsukasa promises to call it off if Tsukushi says she loves him. She remains silent, rejecting him. Rui's team is losing badly when he comes up with a new tactic to gain points. He distracts Tsukasa by acting affectionate towards Tsukushi, causing him to make mistakes.

Tsubaki has Tsukushi and Rui locked in a room after learning that have not slept together. Rui reveals to Tsukushi that he is not over Shizuka. Tsukasa, meanwhile, wanders around thinking of Tsukushi before going home. When Tsubaki tells him about Tsukushi and Rui, he takes it well.

Tsukasa makes up his mind to go to New York. At the airport, Rui gives Tsukasa a voice recorder that says "Nothing happened between Makino and me." After learning that her father has lost one million yen, Tsukushi receives a call from Tsukasa asking her to come to Canada.

After Tsukasa promises to loan her the money, Tsukushi makes her way to Canada with the rest of the F4 and Yuki. Yuriko and her friends tag along as well. Later, a jealous Yuriko lies to Tsukushi by saying she saw Yuki go outside. Tsukushi goes into the blizzard to find her but becomes lost.

Tsukasa runs outside to save Tsukushi. He carries her to a deserted cabin, where they spend the night in one another's arms. The next day, Tsukasa attempts to confess his feelings to her. Tsukushi, however, thinks he is talking about the loan and promises to pay him back.

After returning home, Tsukushi feels awkward around Tsukasa. She later meets Junpei Oribe, a freshman at Eitoku. He reminds her a bit of herself. Junpei offers his hand in friendship and reveals his secret by dragging her to a photo shoot. There he ropes her into posing for photos with him.

A photo of Tsukushi and Junpei makes the cover of a magazine. Tsukasa becomes angry, which leads to him beating up Junpei. He confesses his feelings to Tsukushi again, but she does not answer him. A couple days later, she becomes a bullying target again after receiving another red card.

Tsukushi is kidnapped by Junpei and his partners. He reveals to her that he has a grudge on Tsukasa and is using her to lure him there. Tsukasa arrives after receiving a note for him to "come alone." He allows himself to get beat up by the guys in order to protect Tsukushi.

Tsukushi wakes up in the hospital. The F4 play a trick on her by pretending Tsukasa has died. Tsukushi breaks down crying and admits to Tsukasa about how scared she was of him really dying. Junpei comes to apologize to her for deceiving her, but Tsukushi is not ready to forgive him.

Tsukasa invites Tsukushi to his birthday party. Before entering the party, Sojiro reveals that Tsukasa's mother, Kaede, will judge her as a potential fiancée. Tsukushi becomes nervous and attempts to leave, but ends up staying. She accidentally causes a scene before meeting Kaede.

The F4 try to lie to Kaede about Tsukushi's background, leading Kaede to test her. She ends up confronting her son, who openly admits his feelings for Tsukushi. His sister makes an opening for the couple to escape. He brings Tsukushi to his family's yacht, where he talks to her about his family.