The following version of the book was used to create this study guide: Willink, Jocko. The Way of the Warrior Kid. Macmillan Publishing Group, New York, New York, 2017. Kindle AZW file.

As the novel opens, Marc is a 10-year-old student facing the final day of school before the summer break. The school year has been a disaster for Marc, who has been unable to master the multiplication tables and is no good at sports. On the final day of school, Marc is humiliated when he cannot perform even one pull-up and the other children laugh at him for his failure.

The summer begins to look better when Marc's Uncle Jake arrives, planning to spend the summer at Marc's house. Jake is a Navy SEAL, and Marc respects his obvious self-confidence and his strength. When Marc confides in Jake that he feels he is a failure in so many areas of his life, Jake comes up with a plan to help Marc strengthen his mind and body while overcoming fear and loading up on self-confidence. Jake's plan begins early the next morning when he wakes Marc by banging on a trashcan. Within a few days, Marc is forcing himself out of bed at an early hour. One morning, Marc lacks the motivation to get his day started and he decides to sleep in. Jake teaches Marc the first of many lessons: that motivation will come and go but Marc can depend on self-discipline to keep him on track. Marc takes that lesson and spends the rest of his summer working on Jake's plan.

As part of the plan, Marc exercises every morning in order to gain muscle, all with the final goal of being able to do 10 pull-ups. On the day Marc finally does the first pull-up, he wants to celebrate but Jake helps him realize that he has a long-term goal and that he still has a lot of work to do. Jake teaches Marc to eat healthier food and enrolls him in jiu-jitsu class. Jake teaches Marc to swim and then helps him learn to recognize and overcome fear so that Marc is able to jump off a bridge into the river. Jake also teaches Marc techniques for learning new things.

By the time the summer ends and Jake leaves, Marc has changed dramatically. He goes for the first day back at school with a new confidence. He aces a math test and the other students are amazed when he can do 14 pull-ups. Finally, Marc faces down a classroom bully, Kenny, at recess. He knows that the jiu-jitsu will serve him well if it actually comes to a fight, but Kenny backs down. Marc then shows a final act of good character and invites Kenny to play with him. As the novel ends, Marc writes Jake a thank-you letter, outlining the Warrior Kid code he has established for himself and pledging to continue the work he began with Jake.