John Perkins is the writer and narrator of the book. He was born into a modest family that believed themselves superior to the rest of the common people living in their town. John attended the Tilton school for boys, where he grows up sexually and morally frustrated. His parents never allow him to date any of the girls in his town because they are "sluts," and so he harbors his frustration and uses it to succeed. He excels in school and sports and is offered a scholarship to Brown, though he turns it down to go to Middlebury college because his father wanted him to go there instead. He makes an Iranian friend, who later turns out to save his life and then rebels against his parents by dropping out of school.