The ants must defend themselves against "Cloud-Breathers" (wasps) and a ruthless exterminator, Stan Beals, whom Lucas himself had originally hired to destroy the hill.
The story follows , a lonely ten-year-old boy who has recently moved to a new neighborhood. Targeted by a local bully and ignored by his busy family, Lucas takes out his frustration on an anthill in his front yard—flooding it with a garden hose and stomping on the mounds.
By leading the ants and even the local wasps in a collaborative battle against the exterminator, Lucas earns his freedom and returns to his normal size with a newfound respect for all living creatures.