Teenager Stanley Yelnats IV lives in Texas with his family, who have been cursed to be unlucky – a misfortune they blame on their ancestor Elya's failure to keep a promise to fortune teller Madame Zeroni years ago in Latvia. One day, Stanley is falsely arrested for stealing a pair of sneakers that were donated to charity by baseball player Clyde "Sweet Feet" Livingston. Upon conviction, Stanley decides to attend Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention camp, in lieu of serving his time in jail.