All the boys and girls in Josephine's first-grade class bullied and teased her before she met Hugo, a wild, carefree boy who goes to school only when he can fit it into his busy schedule of wood carving and exploring nature. He is more than a match for the school bullies, let alone the teacher. The friendship of the two, from the opening of school up to a momentous Christmas celebration, is often hilarious and always very touching.