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Enrolling in school seems easy to Knox because in Hong Kong, they had to take many tests and go through numerous screenings and interviews. Knox believes the US has too few standards, while Julie says this means that American schools are inclusive. Meanwhile, Bowen is panicked because while they were inside, he looked up his middle school and learned that it is only ranked a three on Aunt Jackie’s school ranking site. Knox is determined not to let his brother know about his ADHD.

While Julie was teased when she was young because of her inability to speak English, she believes her children will have an easier time because they already know English. The four go to Target to get school supplies, and Lea finds purple goldfish that she wants to serve at her birthday party. Knox gets a riding cart and runs into a Mountain Dew display after being warned several times to stop. He runs away and hides, and Julie must put away most of what they were planning on purchasing to pay for the destroyed Mountain Dew. Knox thinks that he feels like a purple goldfish, like he stands out from his family, but Lea says she likes purple goldfish, and this makes Knox feel better.

Knox researches ADHD and gets nervous when he reads about his brain’s differences. When the family hears more COVID-19 information on the radio, Julie tells them that they can tell people that they are from the US rather than from Asia. In Knox’s classroom, he learns that they have an area with fidget toys, and the kids can also move to different stations and seats.

A boy named Christopher befriends Knox and helps him learn how things work. Outside, the other kids want to play “coronavirus tag” and say that Christopher is “it.” He does not want to play, and Knox tries to help Christopher by telling everyone that he has been near the virus because he is from Hong Kong. His classmates are shocked to hear that Knox is of Asian descent, since he looks more like his American father.

After school, Knox tells his family that he made a friend, but Lea has not. She explains that she sat on the friendship bench during recess, but nobody came to play with her. She is worried she will never make friends. When they pick up Bowen from school, he is frustrated because the school does not offer any foreign language classes. He does not think that the school is good enough to get him accepted into Berkeley. He wants to go to a private school, but Julie says they cannot afford it. When Lea asks if Andrew will make it to her birthday party, Knox says that they would have to come up with a plan. The siblings plan to raise money to get their father to the US.

Bowen makes fun of Knox for his focus toys, and on the news, they hear that COVID-19 cases are rising. Bowen does not want to bring hand sanitizer to school because people will think he has COVID-19, and this makes Knox wonder if people are treating Bowen badly at his new school because of his ethnicity. Julie explains that she has been applying to jobs, and she explains how most people in the US get their health insurance from their employer. Knox asks about what happens when people get sick, and Julie becomes quiet. Bowen changes the subject, asking about Julie’s efforts to help him get a spot on the track team. She happily tells him that he will start track practice in a couple of weeks.

Christopher tells Knox that his family has a Sichuan restaurant, but business is slow because people are afraid that they will contract the virus there. Knox is surprised when Christopher takes out ADHD medication; they both have the same condition, and they bond over their shared habits of impulsivity. Christopher tells Knox that ADHD is not something to be ashamed about, and he says he cannot share his medication because different medications work for different people. Knox plans to talk to his mother about medication when they get health insurance.

Knox is excited after school because his teacher, Mrs. Turner, taught his class math through videos because she believes different kids learn in different ways. Bowen mentions a Chinese International School, but Julie will not let him take public transit all the way to San Francisco. Julie tells the children about how her parents were doctors in China but worked in restaurants in the US. She was the only child of Chinese ancestry in her class at one point, and eventually she grew to like school.

Julie mentions that Andrew’s salary has been cut, and they decide to go to Christopher’s family restaurant for dinner.

The kids keep pestering Julie for information about their Andrew’s job, and she explains that even though his pay was cut, he is lucky because many other people were furloughed. They arrive at the relatively empty restaurant and learn that the restaurant has been in Christopher’s family for three generations. When a customer comes to pick up a large order and learns that the food is made from scratch, he says he does not feel safe eating it and leaves without paying. Remembering how it felt being treated poorly as a child, Julie pays for the family’s entire bill and takes the food home. Later that night, the children plan to find their father a job through LinkedIn.

It is Valentine’s Day, and Julie has gotten a job interview. She explains that to be taken seriously on LinkedIn, a person should have a minimum of 500 connections. While Knox researches LinkedIn at school, his teacher gives him a big bag of Valentines from his friends. Knox feels appreciative and makes a card for his teacher, mom, and sister.

The kids look up interview questions to help Julie practice. When they turn the interview preparation into a game and Knox asks Bowen what he misses about Hong Kong, Bowen says that he misses fitting in.

Bowen refuses to expand upon his desire to fit in. He turns their attention to Andrew’s LinkedIn page, and the children make a profile for him, and they wonder how they will get 500 connections.

The siblings decide to have a garage sale to get connections for their father through their sales. They go shopping to purchase an interview outfit for Julie.

Julie goes to pay for her outfit, and her credit card is declined. She calls Andrew, who has had to move into a smaller home because he cannot afford their previous apartment. When the children begin to express their concerns about their favorite things, he says that he sent their belongings to them.

Bowen and Knox talk about old times at their home in Hong Kong, and Knox wonders with hope if they are finally starting to bond. Bowen wishes people could understand that people in the US would understand that they are people too, not the Chinese government.

Julie wakes up really upset because Knox, trying to keep her safe from the virus, sprayed Lysol on her shirt and left a big stain on it. Luckily, she is able to cover it up with a pin. At school, Knox tells Christopher about the garage sale they plan to have, and Christopher helps Knox learn how to answer a math question by drawing out how to do it. At Knox’s prompting, Christopher decides to look into Uber Eats for his restaurant because people are not coming in due to the virus.

At recess, Christopher is told he must play “coronavirus tag” again, but Knox comes to his rescue, saying that the game is stupid. Knox gets so upset that he takes the soccer ball he got from his dad and kicks it over the fence. Knox climbs the fence to get it, getting another classmate filthy with mud as he jumps down, and the principal sees him.

Principal Murphy calls Julie even though Knox tells him that she is at an interview. Julie must leave her interview to get Knox, and Knox feels good about apologizing to the student he muddied, even though the student does not acknowledge the apology. Julie tells Knox that the incident could have gone on his permanent record which will follow him everywhere. She tells him that bad permanent records are part of why people end up in jail.

Julie continues to look for a job. Bowen gets angry at Knox when he learns Julie had to leave her interview to get Knox, and Knox accidentally tells him that he has ADHD. Knox goes to his room and wonders if he can still achieve great things even though he has ADHD. Knox is angry at Bowen for taunting him, and he takes his expensive earphones with the intention to pawn them the next day.