Mason is about to start kindergarten and is more than a little nervous. He knows exactly what will help: wearing his lucky socks. But kids at school make fun of him: his socks don't even match! And -they're smelly, too. (It might help if he ever washed them, but that would wash the luck immediately.) Mason marches right home. Feeling upset, he declares that he will never go back to school. However, his perspective changes when he encounters a stinky rat in his backyard. Could this unappealing creature hold the secret to helping Mason build self-love and courage?