John Midas lives in a small town with his parents. His teachers at school like him, and his classmates are nice. By all accounts, John is a good, perfectly behaved boy—but he has one fault: He’s “a pig about candy” (14). He spends all his money on candy, which he never shares with anyone.

One day, John’s parents notice red spots on the end of his nose, something John gets when he’s been eating too much candy. His parents take him to see Dr. Cranium, who says that John is too full of candy and needs to eat other foods. At home, John’s parents try to make him understand that his body needs other foods to be healthy, a concept John struggles to comprehend. His dad finally asks John to consider how eating candy affects John’s mother. John doesn’t understand this either, so instead of answering he goes outside to play.

John finds a gold coin bearing his initials and then discovers a candy store he’s never seen before, where the storekeeper invites him to take advantage of a special discount on chocolate. When John says he has no money, the storekeeper asks about