Plot summary

Forty year old Guy Trilby, an angry man, dropped out of school when he was in the eighth grade. It is largely because of this fact that he is able to find a loophole to compete in the Golden Quill Spelling Bee - open to anyone who has not yet completed the eighth grade by the time of the national finals - he winning his regional bee to be one of the fifty national finalists. He also meets one of the other regulations of being sponsored by a national media organization, his sponsor being the one woman online outlet The Click and Scroll, the woman being Jenny Widgeon. Jenny's purpose in sponsoring Guy is to get an exclusive to his story, namely why he feels so inclined to compete in a spelling bee populated primarily by people one-quarter his age, in the process he knowingly making a mockery of the event of which he is well aware. He, so far, has been relatively mum to her about that issue, he and Jenny connecting more on a purely animalistic sense. While the regional organizers tried to find any reason for Guy not to be eligible, those at the national level - bee organizer Dr. Bernice Deagan, and the company owner Dr. William Bowman - are a bit more cutthroat in their dealings with him. Deagan makes it clear to him that she plans on making his life a living hell as long as he proceeds, while Bowman is a little more private in his threats. Guy is also clear that he plans on winning - he having the spelling skills to make a more than credible run - but a little less open about some of the psychological means he will go to to outwit his competitors. He, however, does not count on the tenacity of ten year old competitor Chaitanya Chopra, a seemingly friendless boy who wants to be Guy's friend. Guy's relationship with Chaitanya may be the biggest factor in what Guy decides to do in his quest to the top of the podium.—Huggo