Everything Sophie draws becomes real, so when she feels lonely she begins drawing animals that come to life, but she still has no one to play with until a boy appears, all on his own.

No ordinary beast, Maurice is neat, polite, photogenic, and his roar is delightful to the ear, which leads his parents to enroll him at the Abominable Academy for Brutish Beasts, where he realizes he has a few things he can teach his fellow beasts.