This is the story of Suzu, a 12-year-old girl with a hospitalized mother, who is forced to be a resourceful child. With her ability to see through people, she is able to take advantage of situations and will even try to pay for her mother’s medical bills by any means necessary. As she is poor she is teased and bullied by her classmates causing her to develop a tough outer shell as typified by her often-used phrase, “If you feel sorry for me, give me money.” In her life, her father figure is loveless and a drunk, however, she is comforted by her loyal dog. Never down, she is determined to help her mother, the only one who has really loved her.