Sweetie Pie the hamster is so excited to leave the pet shop with his new owner. In the great outdoors he feels the wind in his fur and experiences its wonderful sights and smells for the very first time. But soon he is stuck back inside, living a cage-bound life controlled by the whims of his awful owners. As Sweetie Pie looks longingly out of his cage at the squirrels frolicking in the trees, he wonders if he will ever get the chance to answer the call of the wild...

Inspired by his daughters' two pet hamsters, Chris Van Allsburg tells the heart-warming story of a little animal, trying to find his place in the big wide world.