For more than two decades, Pi Kappa Alpha had dominated Tugs, the annual tug-of-war competition at Northern Illinois University, winning eight straight times and 22 of the past 24 years. But in 1995 the unthinkable happened: Pikes lost Tugs.

Tugs Untied follows the Pike tuggers as they prepare for the '96 Tugs and grapple with depression, desperation, and overwhelming alumni pressure to bring the Tugs trophy back home.