When she was five years old, Elmur ( Laura Murphy) wanted to be the pretty Indian Princess in the school play, Instead, she was given the part of a cowboy named Rag-time Joe. It was genetic that the teacher saw her as rootin-tootin. Her mother too, who wanted different. Living with her grandmother, Elmur figures her genetic makeup has disadvantaged her.
So on the day, Stepping Away from I'ness, Elmur wants to try out some new genes, those of the uber popular Mary Margaret Miller. On that day, freshmen from selected high schools throughout the world will be injected with someone else's genes, to see life from someone else's point of view.
Instead of getting Mary Margaret, Mary Margaret gets Elmur. As Elmur's nemesis and personal bully, MMM goes into, "anaphylactic shock." Now knowing Laura better than she ever did, she has plenty of ammo. She steals Laura's tell-all diary and starts to bring it to life with page one; burn down the Blue Water Haven subdivision sign. Now the cops are after Elmur. To get the diary back, Laura has to go out and find herself.
Other students join her to help her battle Mary Margaret, other injected students, and the cops to get back the evidence the diary has become. A kind, Hispanic, football player, Hugo, (Huge-o) who sees Elmur needs help. A Milwaukee brace girl, Alice. She wants some action and wants to be a part of a group.
MMM’s and other injected, crazy students have taken over the local Boy Scout camp. The camp is stocked with weapons. Injected Andrew, Hugo, Alice, and Elmur make weapons for the final battle for the book. They work together in a real-life video game of strength and wits.
When the person Andrew has become sees himself get shot. She has to stop running from the cops and her classmates. She has to save the boy's life. Laura has to become the hero of her own story.
