Prince Pugnax of Porzana is not a happy man, in fact, as a result of a disagreement with the wizard Lucifer John McCracken, he's now a giant cockroach! The Prince was horrible as a human so the people of Porzana are glad to be rid of him. Then Pugnax is declared officially dead and his nephew Bembex, Baron of Bellonia, is to inherit Porzana. This greedy villain plans to cut down all of Porzona's forests for paper. There's only one thing to be done - Bring Back Pugnax! And for this all hope depends on the heroine Freddie Fennifeather, the strange Black Donald and the wizard McCracken: can they make him return?