Frederick is the brave one. Ishbu is the hungry one. The rat brothers live in a cage in Miss Dove's classroom, where they can learn and eat to their hearts' content. Then the fateful day arrives when class bully Millicent Mallory teaches them the meaning of the word . . . extermination! No sooner have the two rats fled the school than they embark on the wildest adventure of their lives. They follow the trail of the Burmese Bandicoot, a beautiful and mysterious statue, from the underworld lair of the Big Cheese to a tropical island that may not be the paradise it seems. The brothers' trip around the globe by paw, air, and sea reveals a whole new world and reminds them what they value most.