Finnegan, a young fox, searches Squiggly Wood for the perfect guru, only to collide with resistance. Guides and misguides attack his teaming up with Crookshank, crow elder reputed to have an evil foot. Pushing against this resistance, the two investigate its cause and discover a greater problem. Someone wants to control all critters in Squiggly Wood. This story parodies social, political, and commercial manipulation while taking the reader on the archetypal search for one's purpose in life.