So there's this nerdy sixth-grader named Melvin. He lives in Brooklyn, and wants nothing more in life than to go to computer camp. There he can build the ultimate robot to thwart his enemies, do his chores, and make him look cool in front of girls. Instead, he gets his butt kicked by a bully and a guilt trip from his parents. Somehow, after an epic day of defeat, worry, and woe, he agrees to spend the summer in stupid Alabama with his stupid biologist Uncle Petro. On the drive, Melvin and Petro pick up a couple of burping alligators from the Bronx Zoo, mistakenly become international terrorists, and somehow survive the fartapocolypse. Petro is attempting to save the Red Hills salamander from extinction and drags Melvin through the culture and wilderness of the deep, dirty South. Along the way he encounters a freakish group of characters, including a horse-sized dog named Choopy, Melvin's best friend Chucky (AKA DJ Chuck-N-Stuff), and a few other wierdos, including a butt-chinned, New York reporter ruining their already stupid lives. Stupid Alabama, growing up to discover not all things are stupid, but a lot are.