Eli and The Golden Fish is a story of two brothers, living out of a car on the side of the road, and dealing with the challenges of staying afloat both financially and emotionally. Eli, the older brother cannot seem to make quite enough money to be content and Noah, his younger brother can't stop wishing he could have pop-tarts for breakfast instead of the usual crackers. When Noah is told a story by his best friend Riley about golden fish living at the bottom of her pool, both Noah and Eli become interested. As Noah tells his older brother the story after school, Eli initially dismisses it as a tall tale that kids tell, but with his looming financial problems, Eli continues to think about the golden fish and decides that he cannot go on without knowing. In the end, Eli has to decide what to do about his current situation, the golden fish, and his little brother's want for pop-tarts that results in the bonding of the two brothers and a new outlook on life for Eli.