When a self-absorbed & short-tempered trust fund baby is left out of his wealthy father’s will, he’s forced to give up his privileged New York City lifestyle – and much of his attitude – to work as a middle school teacher in a small town in Hawai’i. Determined as he may be to keep the first job he’s ever had to have, his efforts result in hilarious complications – largely fueled by the intense rivalries surrounding the town’s local beauty queen.

He’s only able to navigate it with the help and wisdom of Mei: the older & eccentric Japanese woman who tended to his father’s household. Despite Ben’s objections she follows him to Hawai’i in order to protect him from himself.

Her methods are unusual at best, and quite ‘out of place’ in this town. But they are not meant for the town, they are uniquely designed for the enlightenment of Ben.

Adapted from the timeless classic, Botchan – the most widely read novel in modern Japan.