Troy, a basketball player, and Gabriella, a new student, meet at a ski lodge New Year's Eve and discover they both have a talent for singing. When Gabriella transfers to East High, Troy shows her around and introduces her to the school's cliques, including the drama club run by Sharpay and Ryan Evans. Troy and Gabriella audition for the school musical at the last minute and impress the director with their voices. Sharpay, threatened by their talent, tries to reschedule their callback to conflict with Troy's basketball game and Gabriella's academic decathlon, but Troy and Gabriella find a way to make the callback and land the lead roles in the musical instead