Derek Fulstarter fancies himself a hero, but his quick temper keeps him in hot water. Like this morning, when a street fight with the neighborhood bully, Conrad, got him arrested, landing both of them in the stockades on Ploughman's Wharf. When they witness the bully's sister, Dani, getting kidnapped, Derek has to make a choice-be the hero he imagines himself to be or let the bully figure things out on his own.

With a little push from a mentor, Derek realizes it's time to put up or shut up. He and Conrad escape the stockade and set off on an adventure with swaggering swordsmen, towering minotaurs, and pirates on the high seas to save the kidnapped children. Along the way, Derek discovers a new friend in Conrad, as well as admiration for Dani, who proves to be much stronger than Derek realized.