Edie Amelia Sparks is a neat girl with very messy parents. While checking that her party outfit for her ninth birthday is in order, she discovers that one of her most treasured possessions - a red monkey shoe with a crimson tassel on the toe - is missing. With the help of her unusual dog Mr Pants, and her arch nemesis/best friend Cheesy Chompster, Edie Amelia sets out to solve the mystery of the missing shoe. A vital clue leads them to the local dump where Edie Amelia recovers her monkey shoe and the missing documents that will help reinstate her father to his rightful position as Associate Professor at the University of Wobblebottom.