Potato is very excited to buy a pair of pants on sale at Lance Vance's Fancy Pants Store, but when he sees Eggplant, who pushed him the day before, he is afraid to go in.

When a bored girl meets a potato who finds children tedius, she tries to prove him wrong by demonstrating all of the things they can do, from turning cartwheels to using their imaginations.

After a young girl finds two old potatoes at her father's house, they plant and tend them to see if they will have new potatoes in September.

This retelling of a Chinese folktale pays tribute to the author's Irish heritage, and to the joys of an old marriage, new friendships, and the impulse to share. A very poor, humble couple live so simple a life they share everything, until the husband discovers a pot with magical powers buried under the very last potato in the garden.

Potato is worried about what might happen in the future, causing Flamingo to worry, too, but their friend, a little girl, encourages them to focus on enjoying the present, instead.