The story concerns a scientist working on artificial intelligence who creates robots for humanitarian purposes, only to discover that the corporation he works for intends them for military use. He steals one of his creations, a robot boy named Toby, who, by a series of accidents, gets lost and broken, and then found and fixed by the lonely 11-year-old son of a harassed single mother.

The robot and boy become friends, and embark on a series of adventures, pursued by the authorities, climaxing with them having to rescue the scientist and the mother from prison.