11-year-old Rodney is starting 6th grade in a new school, in a new home in a new state. The new school is really old and smells, and he's in a class with a bunch of kids who seem to sort of hate him. Even his best friend won't write him back. It's strange, because just a couple of months ago, Rodney was one of the most popular guys in his 5th-grade class. He lived in Las Vegas, with his mom, older sister and his dad, who was a successful professional poker player. Now his old life is over—his mom even says they shouldn't tell anyone their real last name. Because of something his dad did. Or something people said that he did. His dad says it's all a big misunderstanding, but he's now staying in a center "for people who are having problems". Rodney is confident that it won't be long until the misunderstanding is all cleared up. But he can only keep the truth at bay for so long...