Craig Gilner is determined to succeed at life — which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job. But once Craig aces his way into Manhattan’s Executive Pre- Professional High School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping until, one night, he nearly kills himself. Craig’s suicidal episode gets him checked into a medical hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self- elected President Armelio. There, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.