Milo is always bored with the world, no matter what he does. When a strange tollbooth and toy car appear in his room, he drives through not expecting very much. But Milo is transported to a fantastical world where abstract concepts are not so abstract. There he meets Tock, a watchdog who's a half-dog half-timepiece, and the Humbug, a pessimistic human-sized beetle with a derby hat and cane. Milo, Tock, and the Humbug adventure through surreal places such as Dictionopolis, The Valley of Sound, The Island of Conclusions, and the Mountains of Ignorance on a quest to save the beloved Princesses Rhyme and Reason.