"Instant Muscles" is a cinematic exploration of a young boy's imaginative solution to the age-old problem of the bully. It is the early 1900's in a poor American town. The film follows the life of James, who is plagued by the local ruffians. James's father brings the matter to a head and demands that he face his problems like a man. Seeking to please his father and solve the problem, James finds a possible solution in the pages of a penny dreadful (a 1900's version of the comic book) given to him by a strange traveling puppeteer. The film culminates in a western style showdown between the bullies and James while the father looks on. But will it work?