Captain Habakkuk's pirate ship welcomes aboard animals that are not accepted anywhere else. Take, for example, the inconsolable ladybird, seeking refuge to hide her white spots. Then there's the pig with an elephant's trunk, or perhaps the pig-bodied elephant who has found belonging with Habakkuk. And let's not forget the badger who pens terrible poems, or the lizard whose dream of becoming a dinosaur bewilders everyone.
Everyone on board is always happy; it's impossible to feel sad or homesick here. But then, one day, a special animal comes on board: the Long-Haired Cat Cub. No one has ever heard of him. His dad left him at the zoo because he had an important meeting to go to.