A huge blizzard hits town, trapping Greg and his family inside the house. Greg’s dad is staying at a hotel near his office. Greg is already bored, and Manny recently spent all his tokens on Net Kritterz, so Greg keeps getting emails telling him that his chihuahua is sad without him. Greg’s mom has taken over the video game console with her workout game, so Greg finds a way to play without moving at all. He does not enjoy working out and expects not to have to do so until he is much older. As the snow piles up outside the house, Greg gets anxious, but his mom is very relaxed. She tries homeschooling all three boys at once, which doesn’t work too well.

Greg’s mom finds some old toys and games in the basement for entertainment, including an old magic set. Greg manages to trick Manny into thinking that there is a hole in the table, but when Manny tries the same trick on his mom’s glasses, she is left without the ability to see properly for days. She makes Greg and Rodrick responsible for Manny, but Rodrick makes an excuse about doing homework and disappears, leaving Greg to deal with Manny alone.