Joey is an orphan living with his grandmother in Center City, on the West Coast of the United States. Like any other boy his age, he is fascinated by robots and gadgets and dreams of owning a particular toy robot called a Heybo. Heybos are equipped with very advanced mechanisms and controls, but that also makes them expensive; the robot is too costly for Joey, whose only source of income is a part‑time job at a restaurant, and he needs that money to help support himself and his grandmother. One day, while on his way home from school, Joey encounters a couple of bullies who are playing around with a Heybo. In short, the bullies cause the robot to be run over by a car, and Joey retri...