The proud emperor loves to parade before his people with beautiful clothes. When a court official suggests paying the soldiers more money so they don’t have to beg for food, the furious emperor is ready to throw him in jail.

Tombo the tadpole declares himself King of the Pond. He brags that he’s the biggest, the fastest, and the strongest tadpole, and he teases and chases all the other tadpoles. But one day while showing off doing a triple flip, Tombo’s life takes a major turn. He’s captured by a boy and taken from his lush pond to a fish tank. There Tombo is fed dry fish flakes, a food he despises.

City Mouse turns up his nose at the Country Mouse’s simple home and plain food. Back at his house in the city, he treats his country cousin to a soft bed, beautiful gardens, and a buffet of delicious things to eat. Country Mouse is greatly impressed with City Mouse’s riches until he meets a cat and nearly loses his life in a mousetrap.