The protagonist narrates the story from a future viewpoint. He discusses the meaning of family, saying that his dad always stressed its importance, even if it is a chosen family and not a blood-related one, noting that should things between a person and his family go awry, they should find new people to be their family. He then introduces the protagonist and his dad Neil, revealing that his mother died during his birth. The narrator comments that back then he and Neil didn’t have a lot but they had each other, but now that’s not the case anymore, saying that he is now going to tell the story of what happened.

In a mini-mart in a small town, the protagonist is working as a clerk in a summer job. He is daydreaming about his co-worker Josy whom he is in love with, but is interrupted by his annoying co-worker Steve, the owner’s son, who is trying to hit on Josy disrespectfully. During their break, Josy and the protagonist discuss having applied to Burgmeister & Royce College. Josy is on the waiting list, while the protagonist still hasn’t received an answer. Josy also reveals that she has a stepbrother who is already studying at B&R and that her father is a B&R graduate.

At the end of the shift, the protagonist takes Josy for a ride back to her home on his bicycle and thinks about his feelings for her, but ends up just dropping her off at home without making a move.

Back with Neil at their modest house, the protagonist finds out that he has been accepted to B&R. He discusses it with Josy the next day at work and they agree to meet for a date before he’s leaving. He also discusses it with Steve who reveals that he dislikes the “preps” fraternity in B&R. After practicing sparring with Neil, the protagonist tells Neil about his feelings for Josy and Neil tells him the story of how he met Lynette, the protagonist’s mother, who was the daughter of a rich businessman. Lynette’s father hired Neil’s crew to renovate the old hotel they lived in, and when Neil and Lynette started going out, her father didn’t like him since he was a simple construction worker. After the construction work ended and Neil left the town, Lynette ran away from her family to be with him.

On their date, the protagonist and Josy talk about their families, as they are briefly being watched. Neil is unable to pay for his son’s education and he has to take a student loan, while Josy’s father will be paying for hers. The date goes well as they drink and reveal that they both have a crush on each other. They make out but then suddenly Josy reveals that she is already in a relationship and cannot go on with this despite also having feelings for the protagonist.

The next day, Neil drives his son to college as he lectures him on alcohol and drugs and the importance of using condoms. The protagonist gets the keys to his shared dorm. He enters it and is scolded by the current dorm member Troy who tries to get him to leave and ends up letting him stay on the condition that he only stays in the dorm at night and leaves when Troy wants to be there during the day.

The protagonist slips on a newspaper and is helped up by Maya, a first-year student who arrived earlier, who briefs him on the essentials of the college and the existing fraternities and sororities: the nerdy BBB (“Tri-Beta”) fraternity, the AAA (“Tri-Alpha”) fraternity of the jocks, the rich and snobby “Alpha Nu Omega” fraternity (nicknamed the “preps”) led by their president Tybalt, the “Delta Iota Kappa” (DIK) fraternity, and the “Eta Omicron Tau” (HOT) sorority which Maya is attempting to join in hope of getting free tuition since her dad is giving her trouble with money.

During the campus tour, the protagonist briefly encounters Derek, a shirtless first-year student who is mainly interested in alcohol and parties. After the tour, the protagonist sits for lunch but quickly finds himself in the middle of a fight between the HOTs’ president Sage and her jock boyfriend Chad. He helps Sage and they chat a bit and she reveals that she suspects Chad is cheating on her because she found women’s underwear in his gym bag. As Sage leaves, Derek comes and tries to convince the protagonist to join the DIKs, revealing that the DIKs have some feud with the jocks about partying with the HOTs. Later in class, Maya reveals that she has a boyfriend.

In the hallway, the protagonist is bullied by Chad and the jocks for having helped Sage. He is helped by Jill, a student who is hanging around with Tybalt. He then also meets Tri-Beta president Magnar who introduces him to the librarian Isabella, who Magnar has nicknamed “the ice queen” due to her cold attitude.

Back in the dorm, the protagonist talks with Josy. She expresses mixed feelings and mentions she’s giving up on getting accepted to B&R and might be leaving town soon, prompting him to decide to come back home on the weekend to go on another date with her. Derek claims that he senses something suspicious is going on in B&R, and that he intends to uncover it and find out who’s pulling the strings, as he notes the free tuition rumor and the way the campus security seems to be lenient with certain people. HOTs Quinn and Riona walk down the hallway and discuss some secret matter. The protagonist goes to sleep as he hears Troy exiting the room but disregards it. The next morning, he is woken up by Troy who kicks him out of the dorm because he has company coming.

The protagonist encounters Sage again, who propositions him to help her get evidence that Chad is cheating on her, saying she’ll give him something in return. In class, Derek and Maya discuss what classes to take, and Maya invites the protagonist to have lunch with her. They chat and the protagonist reveals that he has had one relationship in the past that ended poorly.

At night time, back in the dorm, Troy is seen crying with a black eye. He says that some jocks came in and stole the protagonist’s precious guitar, then kicks him out of the dorm. The protagonist decides to find a different place to stay and comes to the DIK fraternity. He encounters DIK president Rusty and vice-president Tommy as well as other DIKs and HOTs hanging around there. They talk about how the DIKs hate the jocks and reveal that Troy is a former jock. Tommy tells him that to pledge to the DIKs he must obtain a pair of underwear from the HOT sorority house, and as the protagonist leaves, Tommy calls the HOTs to let them know he is about to arrive.

At the HOT house, the protagonist obtains a pair of underwear but is caught by Quinn and Camila, who use him sexually before throwing him out of the house naked. He returns to the DIK house and while Tommy is pleased with him having succeeded with the task, they do not let him into the house and leave him naked outside.

Out on the street, the naked protagonist sees Isabella and asks for her help. Isabella is disgusted but gets him a towel and brings him into the library. In the library, Isabella asks to hear what happened in full. During the discussion, the protagonist tells Isabella about his mother.

Back on the street, the protagonist decides to quit college and go back home, but right as he does he is greeted by a naked Derek, whose clothes were also stolen by Quinn. Derek seems to be comfortable being naked in the open and he convinces him to give college life another chance. As Maya passes by, it is revealed that she and Derek are twins. Derek asks Maya to let the protagonist stay in her dorm for a while.

In the morning, the protagonist goes back to the HOT house and encounters Quinn who mocks him and tells him that his belongings are with Sage. In Sage’s room, the protagonist sees his guitar, and Sage agrees to give it back together with his other belongings on the condition that he helps her with spying on Chad. On the way out, Quinn reveals that she is operating a “restaurant” selling sex services with HOT girls on campus, and gives the protagonist her number.

Back at the library, the protagonist sits to talk with Jill who reveals that she is friends with Isabella, whom she affectionately calls Bella. The protagonist leaves and Jill and Bella discuss him. Jill thinks he’s nice but Bella thinks he’s no good and a troublemaker.

At night back in Maya’s dorm, Maya and the protagonist do some bonding and she reveals that she does not have a boyfriend. The next night, Maya is not in the dorm when the protagonist goes to sleep. In the middle of the night, Maya arrives in underwear and wakes him up by pressing and grinding on him. They get more sexual but right before removing her underwear, somebody hits the protagonist with a taser and he fades out.