Greg Heffley, a small 11 year old who constantly fights with his teenage brother Rodrick and younger brother Manny, is apprehensive about beginning middle school. On his first day, he quickly discovers the ups and downs, such as the missing stall doors in the boys' bathroom and the difficulties of obtaining a seat during lunch. During P.E. class, he and his best friend Rowley Jefferson escape from a game of Gladiator and learn about a rotten piece of cheese on the basketball court that makes anyone who touches it an outcast, known as the Cheese Touch. Greg also meets Angie, a girl who isolates herself from the other students to survive. Greg states his intention of becoming the most popular student in school.