Winifred and her family are going to visit her Uncle Dave who lives in Castle Apartments. Winifred imagines they are visiting a real castle with everything a real castle implies, including a princess. When they get to the lobby of the building, her younger sister Bun Bun, who has just learned to walk, wanders into the elevator. Winifred rushes after her and the doors close. Bun Bun starts to cry and Winifred tries her best to comfort her. Suddenly the elevator door opens to what Winifred thinks is a monster. The monster is actually a dog. The doors open again to what Winifred thinks is a witch, with a broom and a black cat. Once more they open, this time to what Winifred thinks is a princess. Finally the doors open to Uncle Dave. He takes the kids downstairs to where the parents are worriedly waiting. Winifred excitedly tells them of the adventure in the elevator. She's more convinced than ever that Uncle Dave lives in a castle. It even has a princess. Uncle Dave states the only princesses in his castle are Princess Winifred and Princess Bun Bun. Winifred and Bun Bun are left speechless.

Alan Dingwall returns from his adventure in New York City to find that his mother has a new boyfriend, Christopher Leech, to whom he takes an immediate dislike. Alan discovers he has a talent for poker when he and his friend Victor start a poker group. When Christopher offers to take Alan on a canoe trip, Alan invites Victor, who has some previous camping experience, along. Never having camped, everything is a fresh occurrence. Christopher saddles the boys with the job of portaging the canoe across dry land. The boys, limited by what they can see under the boat, get lost. Just when things seem hopeless, lo and behold, Norbert, the insect size alien returns home to Alan's nose. The boys eventually they come across a log cabin inhabited by Doris, an eccentric visual artist, who decides to kayak for help. A mother bear and her cub make an appearance scaring the boys away from the cabin. After a wild escape through the woods they meet Zinta, a tough camper from Camp Omega who is trying to get her Master Tripper Award by camping alone over night. The boys stay with her for the night, sleeping under her canoe. A huge storm rolls in. Alan, needing to relieve himself, gets up in the night. Zinta, thinking he's a prowler, threatens to knock him over the head with a frying pan when suddenly Alan is struck by lightening. The event turns his nose red. Finally they make it to Camp Omega after a search party looking for the boys arrives in a helicopter. At the camp they reunite with Christopher who is nursing an injury acquired while supposedly looking for the boys. His attention however is mostly on the shapely young nurse he's met. Victor and Alan are asked to participate in the final competition between two camp teams, Lumberjacks and Trailblazers. Zinta is competing against her archenemy, Trixie. Alan appears useless at most activities in the competition, but wins points because Norbert taunts Trixie and everyone assumes it's Alan. The final event is the Casino. With Norbert's help and his own skill, Alan wins the poker game which puts the Lumberjacks over the top. Zinta has beat her nemesis Trixie, and Trixie is chastised for being an incredibly poor sport. Christopher's true colours come out as he explains to Alan how he's come to an understanding with his mother. He's in love with Bernice, the nurse. Alan, relieved to be rid of Christopher, returns home with his mother, Norbert still dwelling in his nose.

Thirteen year old Alan meets Frieda Miller on a flight to New York. Frieda, a year older than Alan and confined to a wheelchair, is the daughter of a New York State representative. Unbeknownst to both of them, Frieda’s wheelchair is being used to smuggle an ancient Egyptian artifact. When they land no one is there to meet them. Frieda is pulled aside by suspicious looking men and searched. When she’s released she takes Alan under her wing and they decide to take a cab. The suspicious men try to kidnap Frieda but a dog, Sally, intercepts. Inside the dog’s nose lives a tiny alien called Norbert, an old friend of Alan’s. With Norbert in the nose, the dog appears to be talking. The cab driver, perturbed by the dog, lets them off far from Frieda’s place. They wander New York City but then are abducted in a truck by the two men. After they are dumped and the wheelchair is stolen, Bird, a street kid, helps them by giving Frieda a ride on his wagon. They help a woman change a tire and in return she drives them to Frieda’s. Frieda’s mother is holding her weekly Tutankhamen Society meeting. The guest speaker is Professor Malchus, proud of his new artifact, an ushtabi from Tut’s tomb. The dog makes a wondrous appearance and, thanks to Norbert, is mistaken for Anabis. The police stop the meeting, trying to arrest Professor Malchus. He escapes, however. The police convince Frieda and Alan to help them catch Malchus and the two other men who have been working with Malchus smuggling artifacts. They are successfully caught at the airport. Alan finds his father. Norbert finds a new home and Frieda forges a new relationship with her mother.