When Eelden, a wild grizzly bear, is tricked into helping Bern, a small dancing bear, escape his old life at the circus, Bern thinks his dreams of freedom have finally come true. Freedom, however, doesn't turn out to be quite as Bern had expected and soon he is unsure about whether he has made the right decision. To try and improve his new life Bern convinces Eelden to help him with a plan to steal packed lunches from children on their way to school and, for a while, things do get better. Inevitably, however, the bears' crimes soon catch up with them, and when Bern is recaptured and returned to the circus, Eelden is forced to set out on an arduous journey to find and free his friend.