Harold and Al go into hiding when they find out The Protectioners are after them. Harold isn’t sure who they are but he doesn’t like them, because hiding from them seems to involve destroying his house, going into space, and being separated from Al. Everyone tells him not to worry, there’s a plan, but when no one comes to pick him up after three days on a space station he doesn’t even know the name of, Harold starts to worry. And that’s before he finds out Al has been kidnapped by pirates.

The Protectioners are after them. Harold doesn’t know what this means, but it seems bad. It also seems to be the start of a long, complicated plan that involves destroying his house. He doesn’t like this part of the plan at all, but he wants to keep Al safe.

If only keeping Al (and himself) safe didn’t mean going into space and splitting up. He knows enough about the plan to be worried when no one shows up to meet him after three days on a space station he doesn’t even know the name of. What he doesn’t know is what to do about it.

Luckily, help is on the way. It turns out that being famous has its advantages: as soon as they find out he’s in trouble, everyone he’s ever met comes to rescue him. Even his cat. Not Al, though, who has been kidnapped by pirates and could use some rescuing of his own.

Harold is pretty sure that wasn’t in the plan.