Gooney Bird Greene arrives in her new second grade class in the town of Watertower. It is mid-October, and lessons have been underway for weeks. Mrs. Pidgeon was not expecting Gooney Bird but welcomes her warmly and obliges Gooney’s request to sit in the very center of the classroom. The class notices that Gooney is an excellent and well-behaved student, but there is something exotic about her. Between her untamed red hair, her unique style of dress, and the stories she tells about where she came from, Gooney’s classmates are completely intrigued by her. Gooney claims to have moved from China, eats sushi, and one day wears a tutu to class.

Mrs. Pidgeon’s first lesson involves the discussion of stories and what makes a story entertaining. She urges the class to think of the answers first, then slowly gives them hints. They conclude that stories need a beginning, middle, and end, as well as at least one character. One of Gooney’s classmates, Malcolm, seems never to pay attention, and another, Felicia Ann, is always silent and staring at the floor. Barry, on the other hand, can never seem to keep his ideas quiet for long.