"The One Who Lives, as you call Him, has given me other things," the Farmer Man smiled and shrugged. "He will lead me. Good comes from what might seem bad." In a quiet forest, the Scrufflings, an elevated animal species, are disturbed by the landing of a Narflbot craft in their midst. The Narflbots, an old enemy of the Scrufflings, leave behind a captive in a guarded cage. Knowing the consequences of being too close to the enemy, Pata-Pikki, Hoopy, Flur-Ella, and Bar-thur escape with the captive, who leads them ever eastward to a hidden land, sheltering a precious way of life. The other Scrufflings, in their escape, find themselves hunted by the enemy. The four friends, led to another forest by Hatch, a small bird, locate their friends. Despite a confrontation with the enemy and a narrow escape, a mystical figure, part Narflbot and something more, helps them and leads them to a deeper perception of life.