Ari is fat. He is bullied at school because of his size. His one close friend is Pick, with whom he shares interests in creating fantasy worlds and science-fiction creatures. After an episode in which Ari pinches his fat so hard it bruises and bleeds, his mother takes him see a doctor and puts him on a diet. He spends the summer with his artist mother on the beach, hangs out with Pick, and meets Lisa and Jorge. It is a transformative time for Ari as he loses 30 pounds but at the same time struggles to accept who he is. ( )