The book includes 39 chapters detailing the adventures, misadventures, and coming-of-age milestones from the perspective of this Iranian teenager attending the first year of high school.
[2] Majid works in a bakery during the summer and sometimes after school in order to supplement the money that his grandmother receives from her deceased husband's retirement funds.
While running an errand for his grandmother, BiBi, Majid is given some dry goods wrapped in a paper funnel.
While Mashasdollah's eyes are burning, Majid tries to remedy the situation by fetching a bowl of water to wash them out.
Unable to see, Mashasdollah knocks the bowl of water over, soaking a sack full of sugar cubes.
[2] BiBi is an animal lover and her household includes a white kitten, named Cutie, and a cage of nightingales.
When he hears the front door open, Majid is stunned and accidentally drops the cage, injuring the birds.
Majid tries to find an acceptable place with owners who love to pet cats at night, who keep much creamy milk in their house, and who eat much meat.
Unable to find a deserving place, Majid returns home, confessing to BiBi that it was his fault that the cage fell.
During his introduction, the teacher delivers an inspiring speech, saying that he himself lost his father at a young age, but that adversity should not an obstacle preventing students from going to college.
Majid is so touched by this speech that he comments that if that story is true, count him as a future college student.
Comedic elements are enhanced when Majid tries to secretly obtain the teacher's measurements by sneaking up behind him with pieces of yarn in hand.
Eventually, the shed door is unlocked and the people watch Majid exit, anticipating instead to see a demon.
Majid realizes that it will be several hours before BiBi is ready, so he asks for permission to go out, wearing his nice, party clothes.
He barrows a bicycle from a friend and heads downtown to see the movie posters in front of the cinema.
He is so happy to see his friend, that he falls off his bike, dirtying his pants and skinning his hands, abdomen, and leg.
The two boys are having a great time eating faloodeh and catching up, when Majid realizes he doesn't have any money in his pocket.
After the ice cream arrives, Majid begins to cry under the table, trying to pretend that he needs to tie his shoe lace.
When it comes time for Majid to confront the owner about not having any money, he starts babbling about how the bicycle isn't really his, so please don't take it and how his socks should be worth a good deal of money because it is the first time he has worn them, and that if the owner wants to hit him on the head, please do so out of the view of his guest who is waiting across the street.
Majid says good-bye to his friend, bikes home to get his money, and returns to the ice cream parlor to pay his bill.
He goes off to a cheaper barber, only to be treated like a third-class customer and have his hair cut so that his head resembles a corn cob.
Due to their economic situation, they must pool their resources in order to afford to buy a beautiful, copper samovar.
[4] Mehdi Bagherbigi was chosen to play the part of Majid out of more than 500 boys who were screened for the role by Kiumars Purahmad.