Set in 1970, we follow Sparky Donnelly, a ten-year-old boy whose superficially idyllic home life is about to shatter. Sparky is aware that something is wrong-a feeling which he experiences as an vague dissatisfaction and naively believes that other people are living far more fun and exciting lives. This idea obsesses Sparky and triggers an extraordinary dream of an entire day, during which he sets out through the neighborhoods of his city-at first, in a vain attempt to find his classmates, and later just to get home. Armed with a special camera that purportedly reveals the true essence of things, Sparky gets a taste of a wide spectrum of dysfunctional and perverse adults in his travels. The conversations that ensue from these encounters serve up slyly ironic and raunchy humor, including some unwittingly sardonic observations by Sparky himself. Sparky is given the opportunity to learn that adulthood has its own limitations and frustrations and that the fun and exciting life comes at a cost.