Dorothy and her trusty hen, Billina, are washed ashore in the Land of Ev after a shipwreck. At first Dorothy is delighted to find lunch grows on trees in lunchboxes. But soon she realises there is a darker side to the Land of Ev. On the seashore, Dorothy encounters the Wheelers, terrifying creatures with wheels instead of hands and feet, but luckily manages to escape to a nearby cave. Here she befriends Tik-Tok, a loyal, robot-like creature who needs to be wound up like a toy to function. He warns her to stay away from the Wheelers and tells her the story of the Land of Ev. The royal family of Ev have been dethroned by the evil Nome King of the neighbouring kingdom. Tik-Tok explains to Dorothy that her friend Princess Ozma of Oz is travelling to Ev by magic carpet to help save the royal family. But before Dorothy can begin to help Ozma and the royal family, she is seized by Princess Langwidere and imprisoned in a tall tower. Poor Dorothy is terrified by the strange heads that Princess Langwidere keeps in her palace and is desperate for Ozma to come and rescue her. But will Princess Ozma of Ozma make it to the Land of Ev, and if she does, what will she be able to free Dorothy?