The story begins when Brady is twelve years old. Through flashbacks we will find out a bit about the life Brady lived throughout his childhood with his parents who dragged him around the country. Neglected, ignored, but amazingly intelligent, Brady begins his journey to educate himself and by the time he gets to his Aunt Mattie he has the knowledge of most high school seniors.

The book takes us through his childhood to his coming to live with Aunt Mattie. At that point he is introduced to a more “normal” life although life with Mattie is, by most standards, anything but normal. She is eccentric with a wild and nomadic life of her own that ultimately comes out in her discussions with Brady.

We will see Brady through his introduction to high school and his struggles to fit in. He meets his mentor/father figure in his math teacher, Mr. Cavender and develops a friendship with his young daughter, Mimi. Although Mimi is only a couple of years younger than Brady, she is still in elementary school when they first meet, and he is in high school. Their friendship will develop over those critical years when Brady is making it through high school and then into college. Mimi, from the very beginning, has deep feelings for Brady, but his feelings are more confused in regards to Mimi, colored by the early abuse and neglect of his parents, and his terrible role model of them as a couple. Their friendship suffers and there is a long period of separation with both of them figuring out who they are without their mutual caring about each other.

There will be a break of time in their story that involves Aunt Mattie’s death, and finally Brady’s trip home to figure out what he really wants out of life and whether Mimi will play any role.