This story is told by a young girl named Annie. This is her second adventure into a world with many unusual creatures. It begins at her grandparent's home. Annie gets a new teacher, her grandmother. Along with her science and mathematics classes, Annie has lessons in music and cooking. Captain Bart Bear sails in for a visit. He talks about his shipping business. He also delivers a secret message to Grandmother. That night, Grandmother leaves on an interplanetary railroad train. Annie and her friend, Ike, sneak aboard. They fly into a boxcar and ride into this adventure. On the first night, the boxcar is separated from the train. This leaves them all alone to track down Grandmother. They soon meet many old friends and make many new ones. Annie's main companions are Glenda Goat, Becky Bear, and four spear-throwing teenage monkeys. Annie's travel adventures continue for three days. She does a little cooking along the way. In the end, she battles against an invisible black wolf. She also discovers that laughter and sunlight are the best weapons to defeat evil.