Nate Foster is a 13-year-old boy living in the small town of Jankburg, Pennsylvania. He is short and somewhat stocky for his age. However, he humorously describes himself as “Five foot nine with broad, slam-dunking hands and a girlfriend (in high school!) and a clear, unblemished face. Pretend I look like that […] I do, except exactly opposite plus a little worse” (1-2). Nate’s height, weight, pronounced underbite, and love of musical theater single him out for abuse by school bullies. Everyone assumes he is gay because he likes to sing, which doesn’t endear him to his family and classmates either.

Nate’s older brother Anthony is a popular athlete and the golden boy of the family, while he himself is generally ignored. Nate has always dreamed of becoming an actor on Broadway. When open auditions are to be held for a musical version of E.T., Nate concocts a plan to get himself to New York. Once he arrives, he loves everything about the Big Apple. It’s the first time in his life that he doesn’t feel like an oddball because New Yorkers are more tolerant than the judgmental townsfolk of Jankburg. After many trials and tribulations, Nate achieves his dream of auditioning and gets cast in the role of E.