Cootie is a young black man in Oakland, California who is being raised by his Aunt Lafrancine and Uncle Martisse. He is also almost four meters long. Cootie is shielded from the outside world by his family, until he is accidentally discovered by a group of teenage political activists. From then on, Cootie soon experiences the beauty and contradictions of the world for the first time. Cootie makes friends, finds love, navigates tricky situations and finally meets his idol, a true-to-life superhero.