Kieran loves insects, and in particular spiders. He finds everything about them fascinating and there isn't much he doesn't know about them. When he's studying spiders, Kieran feels happy and confident. The rest of Kieran's life is more difficult. His father is obsessed with teaching a reluctant Kieran to climb. And then there's Connor O'Brien – a boy in Kieran's class whose only pleasure seems to come from making fun of Kieran's interest.