Greg is cripplingly shy, afraid of spiders, and obsessed with Breakfast at Tiffany's. He goes out of his way to avoid talking to anybody he doesn't have to. And it doesn't help that he has a severe lisp. His English teacher, Miss Hayes sees that Greg is insightful and sensitive beyond his years, and maybe-- just maybe-- he'll use these strengths to break out of his shell someday. She urges him to keep a journal, and he begins to write about everything in his life. When Greg begins to take an interest in a girl at his school named Alice, he realizes that he will have to face his most paralyzing anxieties if he wants to befriend Alice and help her escape from her violent family life.