Oz is yet again in peril at the hands of Ruggedo, the former Nome King. While seeking a present for Ozma's birthday, Dorothy and the Wizard encounter Ruggedo and his new co-conspirator, a Munchkin boy with a talent for transformation. Meanwhile, Trot and Cap'n Bill become trapped on an island that makes them smaller and smaller with every passing minute. With the Wizard's magic tools stolen from him, the fate of the Ozites could be a grim one.