As the novel begins, Chappie, the main character and narrator of the novel, is at home looking for something he can sell for marijuana. He is 14, living with his mother and stepfather Ken, and knows he has been straining his parents’ patience. The family lives in Au Sable, New York, which is right near the borders of Vermont and Ontario. In his search, Chappie comes across letters his father wrote after leaving, which paint him as a man trying to justify abandoning the family, before finding two briefcases in a bedroom closet. Inside one is a disassembled rifle, and Chappie puts it together and pretends to shoot the people and dogs in his neighborhood from the window. Inside the other briefcase is a collection of antique coins; Chappie lifts a handful and takes them to a pawn shop, where he is surprised to discover that they earn him $80.

Chappie uses the money to buy marijuana, which he takes to his friend Russ. Russ is 16 and lives with a group of bikers above a video store. For obvious reasons, Chappie’s parents disapprove of Russ, just as they disapprove of Chappie’s mohawk and nose rings. Before long, the marijuana is gone, and Chappie must dip back into the coin collection.