Nothing and no one in Ernie's life wants him to be a writer. Not his boss, not his roommates, not even the neighborhood meter maid. All seem bent on squashing him and the noble pursuit of his dream... writing his first novel. The only place Ernie feels safe and confident is in his imagination. But when the world he hates encroaches on his typewriter, Ernie loses focus, and the typewriter goes silent. Uninspired and unable to write, Ernie decides if he can't gain people's respect, he can certainly take it. Magically, the very act of standing up for himself gets the typewriter clicking, but entwines Ernie in a bizarre tangle of crime, kidnapping, robotics, and kung fu. Ernie ultimately finds liberation in the least likely of places - namely handcuffing half the neighborhood to a stolen fire hydrant in the middle of his living room. Today Ernie is inspired.