Hogarth is a nice little boy who lives in Rottenberg, the nastiest town around. He smiles often, is courteous and uses the 'magic words,' like 'please,' 'thank you,' 'I am sorry,' and 'excuse me' all of the time. No one else does in his town and they are always nasty and grumpy. His parents are worried their neighbors will wonder what sort of child they are raising because he is so happy! One day, Hogarth is given a piece of candy that tastes wonderful and never gets smaller no matter how much he licks it. The magical candy ends up teaching all of the mean people in Rottenberg why being courteous and using the magic words is so important and helpful to everyone's lives, even theirs!