Henry Waghorn and his father Henry Waghorn Senior run a circus of performing chickens, however the chickens’ real value may be more to do with taste than performance. An offer from Theo Theodolite to join him in a fried chicken outlet has little attraction for the Waghorn family. However Thoe’s daughter Wilga sees a different side to Henry and his training skills and their relationship might have flourished if Henry Senior hadn’t had an unfortunate accident. Finally the truth of the accident is discovered and the explosive finale sheds new light on the need for better-trained chickens.

When a Sumatran rat-monkey bites Lionel Cosgrove's mother, she's transformed into a zombie and begins killing (and transforming) the entire town while Lionel races to keep things under control.