The main character, Neal, dragged to a pool club by one of his relatives for the day, first meets soon-to-be love interest Brenda, who skips up to him and asks him to hold her glasses before diving into the pool. Later that day, Neal calls Brenda in a shaky voice and asks her out later on that night. They finally meet up at a tennis court where Brenda is in the middle of a game and completely dominating her opponent. Neal is from shoddy Newark and Brenda had once lived there, but now has moved into the suburbs where her father owns a company that produces sinks and toilets. Brenda is rich and has had nose surgery, causing Neal to give a few sharp remarks about money. From then on, the two become increasing closer.
Brenda and Neal do not have a smooth relationship--it is marred by arguments and the fallacies of young love, although it is not a fiery one. Both characters are strong and can hold their own through arguing, but Brenda is emotional and tends to break down quickly. For example, a fight with her mother spins out of control in a screaming fit over money, clothes and Neil (who is now staying with the Patimkins for two weeks). She runs to her room and searches for money to tear into pieces and shove into her mother's purse, just to see how she would react. In Brenda's eyes, they have "oodles" of money and the cheapness of her mother sends her over the edge. This is a book about young love, the meetings of two different people and the introduction to the rich and fabulous Patimkin family coming from the dirty grounds of poor Newark."
Brenda, on the other hand, remains a complete mystery to both the reader and Neil. Because we are never allowed to see her thoughts, and because her and Neil have such a different social background, she is someone who we try to understand, but inevitably fail. At times, Neil will say or do something and she will become upset, or tender, or both, and Neil will be so confused that he simply accepts. This can be frustrating for the reader, because Brenda is an appealing character, and it would be nice for him to have the gumption to search deeper within her for meaning and thought, but unfortunately he rarely does. Interestingly, this doesn't come off so much as a failing on Roth's part as an author, but Neil's as a character.