Because his best friend teases him about it, Willie decides that he doesn't want to be hugged anymore. He tells his older sister, who hugs everyone including her worn teddy bear, that hugging is silly; and he backs off when his mother, father, or teacher try to hug him. Secretly though, Willie misses the hugs and "how safe and happy he always felt with his daddy's strong arms around him." He tries to hug things--a towel, a tree, even his bike--but he soon realizes that he wants to hug some one, not some thing.