On a smooth black rock by the docks lives a flock of
sea snails, of which one longs to see the big, wide world; a feeling her rock-bound compatriots cannot understand. After she writes an advert for a "
lift wanted around the world" using her
snail trail, a kind
humpback whale arrives one moonlit
night and offers to take her along on his travels. Together they go on a world-wide ocean journey, past
icebergs and
volcanoes, sharks and
penguins until the snail feels very small in the vastness of the world. The aquatic duo see many sights along their way until one sunny summer's morning, the humpback whale, confused by the sound of a group of racing
speedboats, swims into a
bay and is left
beached by the retreating
tide. In an effort to help her friend, the snail herself crawls to a nearby
school in the bay, and writes "
Save The Whale!" in her slimy trail on the
blackboard. The school's children and teacher immediately fetch the emergency services, and the local people and fire department help to keep the abandoned whale wet until the tide finally turns. The snail and the whale are able to refloat and swim safely away from the villagers, who wave and cheer them on. Together, the snail and the whale return to the snail's home in the dock, where the other members in the snail flock are impressed by the two travellers' tales. The whale holds out his tail, allowing the other snails to crawl on board. Then, as the
sun sinks behind the surface of the
ocean, the humpback whale takes the entire snail flock away, presumably to further adventures. ==Recognition==