Alfred is a talented artist. He does not care to be rich or famous and gives full attention to his artworks and creation. His girlfriend Moniek is a successful writer for a popular soap opera. Alfred's lack of ambition and negligence towards money and material life irritates Moniek, who bases the plot for each soap opera episode on her own life. Alfred discovers Moniek has been conducting an affair with her boss after watching the soap opera, and moves in with his sister after the couple splits. To support himself, he begins offering his services as a friend to strangers at 50 guilders per hour.

Aspiring scientist and inventor Flint Lockwood lives with his widowed fisherman father Tim in Swallow Falls, an island in the Atlantic Ocean. The island's economy is entirely based on sardine sales, which have plummeted due to the rest of the world deeming sardines "super-gross", forcing Swallow Falls residents to eat all the sardines themselves. Flint plans to expand the town's diet by inventing the "Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator" (FLDSMDFR), a device that transforms water into food. During his first test, he knocks out his house's power when he attempts to plug in the new device, annoying Tim, who struggles with wanting to support his son as he wishes that Flint would take over his fishing equipment store when he retires. Flint tries his plan again by connecting the FLDSMDFR to a local substation, but the device accidentally overloads, rocketing across town and into the sky. In the process, it destroys a new sardine-themed amusement park called Sardine Land that was meant to revitalize the island's economy, upsetting Mayor Shelbourne and the other townsfolk. Afterwards, a dejected Flint heads to the harbor where he meets Samantha "Sam" Sparks, a meteorologist from New York City whose big break was thwarted by the accident. As she and Flint talk together, cheeseburgers suddenly begin raining from the sky; Flint realizes his plan is a success because the FLDSMDFR is functioning successfully in the stratosphere, using the condensation from clouds to create food-based weather systems. The town rejoices in their new food choices. Swallow Falls is renamed Chewandswallow and becomes a food tourism destination, making Flint a local celebrity. Simultaneously, he and Sam begin to fall in love after Sam opens up to Flint about how she always dreamed of being a meteorologist as a young girl, but was made fun of by her peers for her intelligence and passion for science. Afterwards, Tim draws Flint's attention to the fact that the food has begun to "over-mutate", becoming both larger and less molecularly stable. Flint warns the now- morbidly obese Shelbourne that the FLDSMDFR is malfunctioning, but Shelbourne is only interested in more food and tourism. After a tornado made of spaghetti and meatballs threatens the town, Flint attempts to deactivate the FLDSMDFR. Shelbourne accidentally destroys Flint's control panel in an attempt to stop Flint, causing the FLDSMDFR to go rogue and create a massive "food storm" across the planet. Refusing to give up, Flint places a kill code in a USB flash drive and builds a flying car to reach and destroy the FLDSMDFR. Accompanied by his pet monkey Steve, Sam, her cameraman Manny, and the town's ex-mascot "Baby" Brent McHale, they approach the FLDSMDFR and discover it has surrounded itself with a giant meatball for protection and is producing sentient food. As they reach the interior, they lose the flash drive and are attacked by giant animated roast chickens. Brent is swallowed by one, but subdues it and wears it as armor to fight off the others. Flint and Sam attempt to climb down to the center of the meatball, but some peanut brittle triggers Sam's peanut allergies. She refuses to leave Flint and they profess their love for one another. To save Sam, Flint breaks the rope and falls to the FLDSMDFR, while Brent takes Sam back for medical attention. Back in Chewandswallow, the townsfolk evacuate on rafts made of giant food, while Tim stays behind to upload a new kill code to Flint's phone. Flint uses the code on the machine, which reveals it has developed a mind of its own. Realizing that Tim accidentally sent the wrong file, Flint uses a Spray-on Shoe formula to jam the device, causing it and the giant meatball to detonate as he falls back to Earth. The townsfolk cheer on Flint as a hero, Tim at last shows appreciation for his son, and Sam and Flint share a kiss. Meanwhile, Shelbourne has eaten his raft and is now stranded off the coast of Chewandswallow.

Dave Kovic runs a temporary employment agency in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., and, as a side job, capitalizes on his remarkable resemblance to President Bill Mitchell by comically impersonating him at events. Secret Service agent Duane Stevenson recruits him to impersonate Mitchell after a speech, ostensibly as a security precaution, but actually to allow Mitchell to meet Randi, a White House staffer with whom he is having an affair. Dave's appearance goes well, but Mitchell suffers a major stroke while having sex with Randi. His Chief of Staff, Bob Alexander, is inspired to ask Dave to continue in his role. Bob's scheme is to force Vice President Gary Nance to resign by embroiling him in a savings and loan scandal; then Dave, acting as Mitchell, will appoint Bob vice president; then Dave will fake a more serious stroke and Bob will become president. Communications Director Alan Reed is initially hesitant, but eventually acquiesces and tells the press corps the stroke was minor. Claiming that Nance is mentally unstable, Bob and Alan convince Dave he must continue impersonating Mitchell for the good of the country. Meanwhile, Nance is sent on a goodwill tour of Africa. Dave's charm and enthusiasm improves Mitchell's image and popularity. First Lady Ellen Mitchell, who has been estranged from her husband for years, initially suspects nothing and treats Dave with contempt on the few occasions they see each other. When she sees Dave's empathy towards a shy boy at a homeless shelter for which she is a staunch advocate, she begins to soften towards him. Her fury returns, though, after Bob forges Mitchell's signature on the veto of a bill that included funding for the shelter. Dave, after consulting his accountant friend Murray Blum, works with the Cabinet to restore the funding through a series of cuts and reinvestments. A furious Bob threatens to destroy Dave, but Alan vows to expose their scheme if he does and all three of them will end up in jail. Ellen, having witnessed Dave's considerable efforts to save the shelter, tricks him into admitting he is an impostor and asks to see her husband. Dave has Duane escort them to a secret hospital room beneath the White House, where Mitchell remains in a coma. They are told he will not recover. They both resolve to leave the White House, but after spending a night out alone together, they begin to fall in love. Ellen tells Dave she has gone along with the charade of a happy marriage because she thought that as First Lady, she could help people. Dave tells her he wishes he could. The next day, Dave, still as Mitchell, calls a press conference, making Bob furious that Dave is no longer obeying him. Dave fires Bob, who in turn tries to fire him, but Dave dares Bob to tell the press about the switch. At the press conference, Dave announces both his firing of Bob and a monumental plan to provide a job to every American who wants one. Nance returns from Africa and confronts Dave for trying to frame him for crimes of which Bob and the real Mitchell are actually guilty. In retaliation against Dave, Bob reveals evidence implicating Mitchell in the scandal, which Alan admits is true. Despite talk of impeachment, Dave refuses to back off his jobs plan, while Bob quietly begins to garner support for a presidential run. During a joint session of Congress, Dave admits that Bob's allegations are true and produces proof, provided by Alan, that shows that Bob was the scandal's mastermind, and that Nance is innocent. After Dave apologizes to Nance and the country, he fakes another stroke; switching places with Mitchell, he resumes his previous life. The hospital pronounces the "second" stroke as major, and Mitchell continues to lie in a coma for five more months before dying. As acting president and then president, Nance backs the jobs plan, which becomes law. Bob and several Mitchell administration officials are indicted, but not Alan, who now serves under Nance. Dave runs for the D.C. city council with the help of Murray and his employment agency staff. Dave is surprised one day when Ellen visits. To the shock of his staff, he escorts her into his office, where they share their first kiss. Dave closes the shades to give them privacy and Duane, wearing one of Dave's campaign buttons, steps in front of the door.

After the death of tycoon and philanthropist Oscar Winterhaven Oglethorpe, a ballet company is founded in his name by his widow, Lillian. Ambulance-chasing attorney Roland T. Flakfizer competes against Oglethorpe's former attorney, Edmund Lazlo, to be director of the company. Lazlo is chosen for the position after signing the greatest ballet dancer in the world, Roberto "The Great” Volare. Flakfizer — with assistance from his two associates Rocco and Jacques — earns a spot as co-director by wooing the wealthy widow and by signing the company's leading ballerina and her dancer boyfriend Alan Grant. The ensuing struggle between Flakfizer and Lazlo leads to comic hijinks, including a badger game involving a chorus girl and an opening-night performance ludicrously sabotaged by Flakfizer and his cohorts.

The CIA has covertly hired Professor Jerry Hathaway at Pacific Tech University to develop the power source for "Crossbow", a laser weapon precise enough to commit illegal political assassinations from outer space. Hathaway uses his position to recruit brilliant students to do the work for him, diverting the CIA's funding into building his new house. Hathaway recruits high school student Mitch Taylor, a budding genius in laser physics. Mitch is roomed with Chris Knight, a legend in the "National Physics Club" and one of Mitch's idols. Mitch's ideal of Chris is shattered, however, when Chris turns out to be more of a slacker than a hard-working student. Meanwhile, Hathaway hopes Mitch will encourage Chris to straighten up his act and that their two exceptional minds can develop a proper power source for Crossbow. Mitch also befriends Jordan Cochran, a hyperactive insomniac student for whom he gradually develops romantic feelings. Kent, Hathaway's graduate student (and toady), reports Mitch for attending a pool party with Chris instead of working on the laser. Hathaway lambasts Mitch, who breaks down and tearfully calls his parents. Kent secretly records the call and uses the recording to humiliate Mitch. As Mitch begins packing to leave, Chris explains the pressures of school and burdens of being highly intelligent by relating the history of genius and former Pacific Tech student Lazlo Hollyfeld. Hollyfeld suffered a nervous breakdown when he discovered his creations were being used to kill, and he now lives hidden in the university's tunnels, accessed from beneath Chris and Mitch's closet. Chris, fearing the same could happen to him, learned to lighten up and enjoy life. Mitch agrees to stay, and they exact revenge on Kent by disassembling his car, a 1972 Citroën DS, and reassembling it in his dorm room. Hathaway, angry about the still-incomplete project and Chris's attitude, informs Chris that he intends to prevent him from earning a degree, blackball him, and give a coveted job, originally promised to Chris, to Kent instead. Chris is disheartened and Mitch must use Chris's same argument to convince him to stay. The two create a new laser, but Kent sabotages it, causing it to explode. Though initially despondent, the incident inspires Chris to design and build a six-megawatt excimer laser, which burns a hole through the campus when it is test-fired. Hathaway reverses his position, giving Chris a degree and the job. As Chris and Mitch celebrate, Hollyfeld arrives and informs them that, with certain modifications, their laser could be used as a weapon. A panicked Chris returns to the lab to find the laser gone, as well as Kent's projects: a mirror and a tracking system which together can weaponize Chris's laser. Jordan and fellow project member "Ick" Ikagami surreptitiously implant a radio transmitter in Kent's braces, which Mitch uses to convince him he is speaking to Jesus. Kent divulges the date of the test, and the group tails Hathaway to learn the location of the Air Force base the CIA is using. Chris and Mitch sneak onto the B-1 Lancer bomber where their equipment has been installed and assist Hollyfeld in reprogramming the laser. Outside Hathaway's home, Chris, Mitch, Jordan, and Ick meet Dean Meredith and a Congressman, to whom they had reported Hathaway's plan. Kent arrives and goes inside the house. The laser test begins and, instead of firing on the target, fires on Hathaway's house, activating a gigantic popcorn popper. Kent is launched out the front door on a popcorn wave. Hollyfeld arrives in an RV—which he has won in a sweepstakes by submitting over a million entries—to tell them he is leaving. Hathaway, who hates popcorn, arrives afterwards to find his house destroyed by popcorn.

Darius Britt is an intelligent but disillusioned graduate of the University of Washington who lives at home in Seattle with her widower father and works as an intern at Seattle Magazine. One of the magazine's writers, Jeff Schwensen, proposes to investigate a newspaper classified ad that reads: WANTED: Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke...You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before. Jeff's boss Bridget approves of his story idea and Jeff selects his team: Darius and Arnau, a studious UW student interning at the magazine to diversify his résumé for medical school applications. They travel to the seaside community of Ocean View to find and profile the person who wrote the ad. Jeff's ulterior motive for this out-of-town assignment is to track down his long-lost love interest who lives in town. Darius discovers the ad was placed by Kenneth Calloway, a stock clerk at a local grocery store. Jeff's attempt to approach Kenneth alienates him, so Jeff orders Darius to make contact. Darius's disaffected attitude serves her well, and she quickly endears herself to Kenneth as she poses as a candidate to accompany him on his mission. While Kenneth is paranoid and believes secret agents are tracking his every move, Darius gains his trust as she participates in a series of training exercises in the woods around his house and she begins to develop feelings for him. She tells Kenneth about losing her mother when she was young and says that her mission is to prevent her mother's death. Kenneth says that his mission is to go back to 2001 and prevent the death of his former girlfriend, Belinda, who was killed when someone drove a car into her house. Meanwhile, Jeff tracks down Liz, a fling from his teenage years. Although she is not as attractive as he had recalled, they reconnect and sleep together. He asks her to come back with him to Seattle, but she believes this is just another fling for him, so she refuses. Upset by her rejection, Jeff takes Arnau out on the town and they pick up some young women. Jeff tells Arnau to not waste his youth and convinces him to spend the night with one of the women. The next morning, Jeff receives a phone call from Bridget, who has been following up the team's notes on the story. She informs Jeff that Belinda is still alive and lives an hour away from where they are. During an interview, Darius learns that Belinda was only friends with Kenneth, and that Kenneth was actually the one who had driven into her then-boyfriend's house, and that nevertheless no one had been injured. After the interview, Darius is questioned by two government agents who have been following Kenneth and believe that he may be a spy because of his communication with government scientists. They know Kenneth has been breaking into labs and stealing equipment. Darius returns to Kenneth's house to confront him, but Kenneth rationalizes that the reason Belinda is now alive is that his time travel mission succeeded. Jeff runs in to warn them that the government agents are also on the property. Kenneth panics and runs into the woods. Darius follows Kenneth, who has boarded his time machine, which has been integrated into a small boat on the lake. Darius apologizes for lying to Kenneth, tells him that everything else they shared was real, and joins him on the boat. Kenneth tells Darius that his mission is now only to go back for her. Jeff, Arnau, and the agents watch as Kenneth and Darius activate the time machine and vanish. A filmed interview, presumably from earlier, shows Kenneth explaining why he chose to enlist a partner for his time travels.

George Newman, a daydreaming slacker who bounces between jobs, is put in charge of Channel 62, a UHF television station, after his uncle Harvey Bilchik wins ownership of it in a poker game. George and his friend Bob Steckler realize the station is nearly bankrupt, subsisting on reruns of old shows like The Beverly Hillbillies and Mister Ed. When a package meant for its competitor, VHF station Channel 8, is misdelivered to Channel 62, George decides to deliver it himself, only to be rudely dismissed by RJ Fletcher, owner and CEO of Channel 8. Outside, George meets a janitor, Stanley Spadowski (whom RJ had recently and unfairly fired after falsely accusing him of discarding a missing report), and hires him at Channel 62. Bob and George create new programs, including the live children's show Uncle Nutzy's Clubhouse (hosted by George), but all of them unfortunately fail to increase viewership. While fretting over their finances, George neglects his girlfriend Teri's birthday dinner and she breaks up with him. The next day, during the Uncle Nutzy broadcast, a depressed George abandons the set, hands over hosting responsibilities to Stanley, and visits a bar with Bob to drown their sorrows, but discovers the patrons enjoying Stanley's slapstick antics on Channel 62. Inspired, the pair create various bizarre shows to fill the schedule, headlined by the re-titled Stanley Spadowski's Clubhouse. Infuriated that Channel 62's ratings now rival those of Channel 8, including a majority of Top Five shows, RJ discovers Harvey owes his bookie Big Louie $75,000 by the end of the week, and offers to pay the debt in exchange for the deed to Channel 62. George launches a telethon to sell stock in the station, which would not only save it from RJ but also make it publicly owned. RJ's henchmen stall the telethon by kidnapping Stanley, whom George and several staff-members eventually rescue. RJ again attempts to stall the telethon with a televised public statement, but Channel 62 engineer Philo hijacks it with secretly recorded footage of RJ insulting the town's population to Teri's face during her visit to his Channel 8 headquarters. The telethon ends about $2,000 short of its goal. Harvey concedes victory to RJ who, instead of immediately taking ownership, gloats to the crowd. Meanwhile, a homeless man approaches George, asking to buy the remaining stock with money obtained by selling a rare 1955 doubled die cent that RJ, unaware of its true value, gave him when he was begging for change. George pays off Big Louie, Harvey signs the ownership transfer, and the station officially becomes publicly owned. Due to both its tardiness in filing its broadcast license renewal and the tirade that Philo broadcast, Channel 8 has its license revoked by the FCC, which subsequently shuts it down. After the Channel 62 staff and audience celebrate, George and Teri reconcile.

Ray, recently fired from his job as a theme park guide, spends the evening with his friends Pete and Toby at the cinema and later at a pub. There, they write a satirical "Letter to Hollywood" criticising bad films, using a page from Toby’s notebook. Ray encounters a woman named Cassie, who claims to be a time traveller working to fix "time leaks." She warns him about "Editors," operatives from the future who eliminate artists at their peak to preserve cultural standards. Ray believes the encounter is a prank arranged by his friends; they deny it and think he is making up meeting Cassie. Soon after, Pete experiences a bizarre vision of a massacre at the pub, including a bearded version of himself. The group discovers a time leak in the men's toilet, which allows them to travel 30 minutes into the past and encounter earlier versions of themselves. Cassie returns, stating she has repaired the leak, but anomalies continue to occur. They enter a post-apocalyptic version of the pub, and Pete briefly disappears into the time leak, returning dishevelled and traumatized. The group attempts to avoid paradoxes caused by interacting with their past selves. During a party at the pub that is themed around their future selves, they meet Millie, another time traveller who claims to be Cassie's mentor but is later revealed to be an Editor sent to kill them at the moment of their greatest potential. Believing the "Letter to Hollywood" may be responsible for their future fame, Ray, Pete, and Toby consider destroying it to prevent Millie’s interference. Millie incapacitates Cassie and offers to make them legends in exchange for the paper, but they refuse. A confrontation ensues, and Millie appears to kill everyone in the pub. An earlier version of Pete enters, witnesses the aftermath, and flees. A severely injured Ray spills beer on the paper, rendering it illegible. This act triggers a reset of the timeline, returning the trio to their original state at the pub, with full memories of the events, but with the paper destroyed. As they leave, believing the situation resolved, Cassie reappears through a portal, now claiming she and Ray have been in a relationship in an alternate timeline. She warns of widespread time leaks and urges them to help save the world within fourteen hours. The group agrees to follow her into a parallel universe. In mid- and post-credits scenes, multiple versions of Pete and Toby appear, suggesting ongoing complications from the time travel events.

Ko Yun-ju, an unemployed academic, lives in an apartment complex with his pregnant wife Eun-sil. He is struggling to become a professor and grappling with his strained relationship with Eun-sil. Searching for the barking dog of one of his neighbors, which is driving him crazy, he finds an unattended Shih Tzu. He tries to drop the dog from the roof, but hesitates and is stopped when an old woman comes to dry radishes there. He takes the dog into the basement and, being unable to hang it, locks it inside a cabinet. Park Hyun-nam, the lazy bookkeeper and custodian of the apartment complex, longs to be famous like a bank teller she and her friend Yoon Jang-mi saw on TV, who was rewarded for stopping a robbery. A little girl comes to Hyun-nam with flyers she wants to hang up in order to find her missing dog, the Shih Tzu. Yun-ju continues to hear barking, and sees the old woman from the roof with her Min Pin, the actual source of the noise. He reads on the flyer for the missing dog that it was unable to bark because of a throat operation. Realizing his mistake, he goes to the basement at night to free the dog from the cabinet, but hides when a janitor arrives. Yun-ju watches in horror as the janitor pulls out the dead Shih Tzu and prepares to cook and eat it. The next day, Yun-ju disguises himself and sneaks up on the old woman and steals her dog. Hyun-nam witnesses him throw the dog off the roof. Seeing an opportunity to achieve her dream of gaining fame, she chases Yun-ju, never seeing his face, but is knocked unconscious when she is hit by an opening door, and Yun-ju escapes. The old woman comes to Hyun-nam with "lost dog" flyers, and when Hyun-nam shows her the Min Pin's body, she faints from shock and is hospitalized. Hyun-nam gets the janitor to bury the Min Pin, but he digs up the body and takes it to the basement to make a stew. When he goes to get some seasoning, a homeless man living in the basement comes out and tastes the janitor's food. The janitor comes back to discover his stew is gone. As Yun-ju struggles to come up with the money needed to bribe his way into a professorial position, Eun-sil, who has lost her job, comes home with a Toy Poodle. She shows more affection for the dog, which she names Soon-Ja (Baby), than her husband, and treats Yun-ju like a servant. While in the park, Yun-ju becomes distracted and loses Soon-Ja. When Eun-sil scolds him for losing the dog, he snaps and accuses her of wasting money. Eun-sil tearfully tells him she bought the dog with a small portion of her severance pay and planned to give the rest to Yun-ju so he could become a professor. Shocked, Yun-ju makes up missing dog flyers and takes them to Hyun-nam, who offers to help him, but he gives up his search after nobody, not even the dog-eating janitor, seems to have Soon-Ja. While being berated for her sloppiness at work, Hyun-nam learns the old woman died from the shock of losing her dog, her only family, and left a letter bequeathing to Hyun-nam the dried radishes that are still on the roof. When Hyun-nam goes to get them, she discovers Soon-Ja with the homeless man, who kidnapped her, having developed a taste for dog meat. Hyun-nam rescues the dog and the man chases her through the apartment building. Jang-mi arrives and knocks out the homeless man, who is arrested by police, and Hyun-nam returns Soon-Ja to Yun-ju. Hyun-nam watches a news broadcast about the missing dogs, but sees no mention of herself, leaving her annoyed. Later that night, she finds a drunk Yun-ju on the sidewalk. Overcome with guilt after hearing she got fired for spending time looking for dogs, he confesses he was the man she saw throw the Min Pin off the roof. Some time later, Yun-ju has succeeded in becoming a professor, though he appears unsatisfied, and Hyun-nam goes on a long-awaited hike in the woods with Jang-mi.

The film opens with Howard Cosell 's coverage of the assassination of the president of the fictional " banana republic " of San Marcos and a coup d'état that brings Gen. Emilio Molina Vargas to power. Fielding Mellish is a neurotic blue-collar man who tries to impress social activist Nancy by connecting with the revolution in San Marcos. He visits the republic and attempts to show his concern for the native people. However, Vargas secretly orders his men, disguised as Vargas's opponents, to kill Mellish to make the rebels look bad so that the U.S. will send Vargas financial aid. Mellish evades Vargas's assassins but is shortly captured by the real rebels. Vargas declares Mellish dead regardless, leaving Mellish no choice but to join the rebels for two months. Mellish then clumsily learns how to be a revolutionary. When the revolution is successful, it becomes apparent that Esposito, the Castro-style leader, has gone mad. The rebels decide to replace him with Mellish as their president. While traveling back to the U.S. to obtain financial aid, Mellish (sporting a long fake beard) reunites with Nancy and is exposed. In court, Mellish tries to defend himself from a series of incriminating witnesses, including a reigning Miss America and a middle-aged African-American woman claiming to be J. Edgar Hoover in disguise. One of the witnesses does provide testimony favorable to Mellish, but the court clerk, when asked to read back this testimony, replies with an entirely different, wholly unfavorable rendition. Mellish is eventually sentenced to prison, but his sentence is suspended on the condition that he does not move into the judge's neighborhood. Nancy then agrees to marry him. The film ends with Cosell's coverage of the between-the-covers consummation of their marriage, an event that was over much more quickly than Nancy had anticipated, with Mellish anticipating a rematch in the early spring.

The minuscule European Duchy of Grand Fenwick is bankrupted when an American company comes up with a cheaper imitation of Fenwick's sole export, its fabled Pinot Grand Fenwick wine. Crafty Prime Minister Count Mountjoy devises a plan: Grand Fenwick will declare war on the United States, then surrender, taking advantage of American largesse toward its defeated enemies to rebuild the defeated nation's economy. Duchess Gloriana is hesitant but agrees to the plan. Mild-mannered game warden Tully Bascomb is charged as Field Marshal to lead the Grand Fenwick troops, aided by Sergeant Will Buckley. The contingent of 20 soldiers, in medieval chain mail uniform, travel across the Atlantic on a small merchant ship, arriving in New York Harbor during an air-raid drill that leaves the city deserted and undefended. They chance upon a civil defence truck and are mistaken for invading Martians, prompting an investigation by blustering but ineffectual General Snippet. Puncturing the tyres of the general's jeep with their bows and arrows, the Grand Fenwick troops take him and four police officers hostage. Still looking for a place to surrender, Tully and Will stumble across Alfred Kokintz, whose invention of the Q Bomb, capable of destroying an entire continent, has prompted the defence drills. He has built a football-sized prototype of the unstable bomb, which Tully takes possession of. With Kokintz and his attractive daughter Helen as additional hostages, Tully declares victory and returns with them to Grand Fenwick. The duchess indulges Tully's victory, and the prime minister resigns in disgust at Tully's blunder, leaving him as acting prime minister. When the incident is discovered, the U.S. government is thwarted from retaking the weapon and hostages by force, fearing the dishonour of attacking such a small and defenceless nation. Instead, they send the U.S. Secretary of Defense to discuss terms of surrender and get back the bomb. Meanwhile, Grand Fenwick receives competing offers of defensive aid from each of the world's powers, in exchange for the weapon. Tully becomes smitten with Helen, who initially despises him for taking them but falls for his simple charm. Then Snippet and Mountjoy conspire to steal the bomb and return it (and Helen) to America, but Tully gives chase and retrieves it. The Secretary of Defence and Tully agree to terms: the knock-off wine will be taken off the market, Grand Fenwick will receive monetary aid from the US, Helen and her father will remain in Grand Fenwick, and so will the bomb: held by "the little countries of the world" as a weapon of last resort if the superpowers refuse to disarm. Checking the bomb for damage, Tully, Helen and Kokintz find it was "a dud" all along, and leave it in the dungeon, conspiring to keep its impotence secret. However, after they leave, a mouse emerges from it, and it appears to rearm, sitting ready to explode if disturbed.