Bernard Bartholomew Bostlebean is a boy who is the result of a marriage between Zort and Pat. Zort was from a planet deep in outer space, hidden from observation equipment from other planets by a large star. Pat, a cashier in a hat store, was a little different than other humans. She and Zort hit it off, fell in love and married. 3B (what we call Bartholomew because it is a long name) is their child. Because he had the unusual features and powers of his father and the different features of his mother, 3B was teased by other children and sometimes, adults. When he demonstrated his powers by rescuing a boy who fell into a well, the other children and adults made him a hero.

The two other chapters are adventures that he and his parents are involved in. The moral of the stories is that it doesn't matter what you look like, or how you talk, you are special and deserve respect.