Pelswick Eggert is a 13-year-old 8th grader with a sharp tongue, a healthy suspicion of authority and a complete lack of fear. Oh yeah, and he uses a wheelchair because he has no feeling below his armpits. But the point is that Pelswick is just like any other 13-year-old when it comes to being independent, disaster-prone, mixed-up, and plugged into everyday pop culture.

Pelswick's home life is dominated by his fiercely-protective (and totally insane) Gram-Gram, as well as his politically correct father Quentin, who will go to any length to avoid offending anyone. ("Nobody's wrong, they're just differently right!") Also in the picture are precocious younger sister Kate, and little brother Bobby, who says exactly one word per episode.

At school, Pelswick's life is made miserable by bully Boyd Scullarzo, and Boyd's none-too-bright sidekicks Nick and Joe. Boyd is truly dedicated to the art of bullying; he's announced publicly that "it's bad form to beat up a cripple, so I'll focus on humiliation and psychological torture instead". ("Cripple", incidentally, is Boyd's term; Pelswick prefers "permanently seated".) Fortunately, Pelswick has a loyal band of friends to help him through the rough patches: numbers-obsessed Ace, dim-but-decent behemoth Goon, prima donna Sandra Scoddle, and sensible Julie Smockford, on whom Pelswick has a not-so-secret crush.

Finally, there's Mr. Jimmy, a Jerry Garcia look-alike who is Pelswick's thoroughly incompetent guardian angel. Invisible to everyone but Pelswick, the laid-back Mr. J pops up at the strangest times to offer Pelswick maddeningly cryptic advice about whatever outrageous predicament Pelswick finds himself in this week. Mr. Jimmy routinely drives Pelswick crazy, and Pelswick often goes to great lengths to try to avoid him... but how can you avoid an angel who can instantly appear wherever you happen to be?