Chickery hated having a weird family. While everyone at his school thought his or her family was sort of strange, for Chickery "strange" was an understatement. Often, he fantasized that his mother had taken the wrong baby from the hospital. Maybe, somewhere, there was a family with whom Chickery could relate. Maybe, somewhere, he could finally feel as though he fit in. His brother, Tommy, has always dreamed of being a world-class boxer. He even wears boxing gloves Chickery is always embarrassed by Tommy, but one day, on the way to school, it gets even worse. Tommy breaks a window with his boxing gloves, and Chickery and Tommy are tossed onto the street. Instead of heading home, Chickery decides to run away to the local zoo, where he meets Larry, the lonely lion. Chickery and Larry become fast friends. Before meeting each other, they feel like outcasts; but together they don't feel so alone. However, Chickery soon discovers that Larry has a strange secret of his own, and Chickery must come to terms with the danger surrounding him at the zoo. He must also come to terms with his own individuality and the fact that being peculiar isn't always a bad thing.