Overshadowed by her younger sister, Kaori is often scolded by her mother for not being "perfect" like her. Her mother? A gorilla-like loud woman that often embarasses her in front of her classmates, eventually leading her to the subject of class bullying and rumors in many points of her life as she grows into a young woman, dealing with betrayal, family misunderstandings, depression, and self-consciousness as a teen along the way. Kaori begins to understand her mother as she grows and learns to accept her and her family for who they are in their "uncool" ways, beginning to see them in a new light and love them more.