A six-year-old boy named Joe is extremely shy with everyone except his family, and extremely stubborn about resisting interactions with others. One day, when his parents leave to visit his father’s dying aunt, his mother leaves a babysitter named Sarah Blevins with him and his older sister Helen. Sarah Blevins is certain that she can adjust Joe’s behavior to make him social, and continuously tries to talk to him and play games with him even when he hides from her. The next day, Sarah Blevins goes out to play with Joe and harasses him until he finally climbs up onto the roof to escape her. Joe proclaims that he won’t come down until Sarah Blevins leaves, which is in over a week. She goes inside to see if he’ll come down while she’s not there, and while she does a few men come up and ask to take the children's picture for the paper. Joe still won’t come down. That night, Helen ferries Joe some food and blankets for sleep. The next day, the newspaper prints the picture of Joe with the proclamation that he’s attempting to break a record for roof sitting, which causes people to come by the house to see him for themselves. This is the last straw for Sarah Blevins, who shouts for Joe to come down, only for him to finally come out of his shell and shout back at her. The children's parents arrive home unexpectedly and Joe climbs down from the roof once he’s assured that Sarah Blevins is gone. After that, he’s a mini celebrity among the kids and all the attention makes him lose his shyness in the end.