A seventeen-year-old boy named Reed Landers is part of a family of geniuses. His father, Duncan Landers, is a NASA physicist. Reed's older sister named Christina is the youngest student enrolled at MIT. His mother goes on frequent tours and is thus rarely home. They live frugally with no television, no refrigerator and live for the work they can do rather than the things they can have. Reed waits around for his own epiphany, or "genius moment" like his sister had, but has none.  One day, Reed witnesses Garret having his own "genius moment" while writing mathematical equations. At the same time, Reed realized that the genius trait had officially skipped him. However, he feels liberated rather than upset and decides that he must lead a new life by getting employed. He begins as a landscaper and cleaner at the San Jacinto Resort Motel and buys himself a car.  One of the motel occupants, Newcombe Shinetower, has a room full of magazines. While Reed goes out for a meal at the nearby Alfredo’s American Cafe where his buddy Jeff works, Shinetower asks Reed if he is interested in sex. Reed answers with hesitation that he is. Jeff hears his answer and tells Reed to come with him, taking Reed to the motel straight to Shinetower’s room. He finds a magazine with a very mature photograph and shows it to Reed who becomes very intrigued. Suddenly they hear Shinetower coming back to his room and they hide. Luckily, Shinetower goes straight to his bathroom and the boys escape the room in time.  One day, Reed and Jeff go fishing while smoking cigars and starting a bonfire. Reed catches a catfish after struggling, and feels triumph yet shocking pain at the fish’s abrasive gills as he removes it from his fishing line.  Meanwhile, Garrett has entered Rice University as a very young teenager, and Reed visits his campus. Garrett introduces him to his friend who has evidently written her own computer language. Reed feels a world apart from these geniuses due to his simpler life of his work, fishing excursions, and fun car rides. After he leaves Garrett and his friend, he muses about how trapped they seem with their genius minds and genius futures that hold little room for freedom and entertainment.