A talented and ambitious student decides to engage in a pro-democracy movement in her oppressive authoritarian state, all while she tries to get out of the country and into the foreign university to pursue her life’s dream.

By main event, you mean inciting incident? It would be her participating in anti government demonstration and being arrested. Stake is to either be able to go away and study or to stay and be imprisoned.
Problem is I have a limit of 35 words which is already exceeded so I cannot just cram all the information in there…