And so begins the adventure of J.J. Smith, the keeper of the records for The Book of Records, an ordinary man searching for the extraordinary. He has verified the longest continuous kiss, the lengthiest single unbroken apple peel, the furthest flight of a champagne cork. Everywhere he goes, record seekers vie for his attention: children gather around him, pogo-jumping hopefully; people implore him to watch them stand on their heads. But J. J. has a problem: his boss says his records are getting dull. Either he comes up with something special, or he's fired
So J.J. finds himself in Superior, Nebraska, windswept heartland of America, on the trail of a world record attempt like no other.
Piece by piece, a farmer named Wally Chubb is rumoured to be eating a Boeing 747 to prove his love for Willa Wyatt, the strong willed and beguiling editor of the local newspaper, a beauty he has yearned for ever since she was the only guest to turn up at his tenth birthday party.