The McCloy family is a seemingly normal, everyday kind of nuclear family -- a mother who sews and embroiders, a father who calmly reads the evening paper, and cute little baby, Gerald. Unfortunately, when Gerald gets to the age when he should begin speaking, he opens his mouth and, instead of words, lets forth a loud "boing! boing!" sound. His distraught father's face turns grey, and in a panic he calls in Dr. Malone, who promptly tells him there's no cure and nothing he can do about Gerald's problem. As the tyke grows older, he evinces a talent for erupting with a wide range of strange, realistic sound effects -- but still no words. His parents send him to school, but he is sent home with a note from his teacher that the school cannot do anything for or with him. Gerald is also rejected by other children his age, who taunt him and dub him "Gerald McBoing Boing." Sad and dejected, he seeks solace and comfort from his father, who doesn't know what to do and angrily sends him up to his room. Once there, Gerald ties a few belongings in a handkerchief on a stick and runs away into the blinding snow. Seeking to hop a freight train, he is stopped by a stranger who says he has been looking everywhere for him. It turns out that the stranger owns a radio station, and he employs Gerald to be his one-man sound effects team. Gerald happily accepts, and earns fame and acceptance for his unique talents.