Bruno Battaglia is a young boy attending an American
Roman Catholic school. Bruno's estranged father Dino, a police officer, left the family long ago and Bruno lives with his mother Angela. Angela is overweight and dresses flamboyantly in outfits that she designs and makes herself, standing out in stark contrast to the rest of their conservative
Italian American neighborhood. While competing in advancing levels of the Catholic school
spelling bee, Bruno decides to start wearing dresses. He wears them as a source of empowerment as well as feeling the need to express himself. He often identifies with
angels and, when challenged that he can't wear a dress to the spelling bee championship in
Vatican City, Bruno points out that even the
Pope wears a dress. For his choice in outfits, Bruno receives heavy criticism from fellow students and faculty, especially the school's Mother Superior as well as becoming a target of the school's bullies. Initially supported only by his best friend Shawniqua, as he progresses further in the spelling competition, his choices of self-expression eventually become accepted by his peers and his superiors. Bruno wins the spelling bee competition and meets the Pope. With the help of his grandmother, Helen, Bruno also begins to form a bond with Dino who, in turn, is inspired by his son to pursue his long abandoned childhood dream of becoming an opera singer, despite previously being unwilling to accept his son, even leaving the room before Bruno sings in a dress. ==Cast and characters==