The film tells the tale of Maurice, a large talking cat, who travels from town to town offering to solve their sudden rat problem. He unveils Keith, a young boy who can play the pipe quite well, and the rats march out of town to the relief of the townsfolk. Maurice and the money received from the grateful town suddenly disappear and he reappears a suitable distance away to count the money with Keith and the rats! But these are no ordinary rats – they talk and wear clothes and dream of an island paradise where rats and humans live together in peace. All goes well with their ‘rat scam’ until they reach the town of Bad Blintz, where they meet a book obsessed girl, Malicia, who leads them on an adventure to solve the mystery of her town…