Overjoyed with having a cute new pet in her life, sixth-grader Mary starts using puppies to try and spark romance between lonely adults.

13-year-old Sam Steele Jr. forms his own private detective agency to emulate his father, Des Moines detective Sam Steele, and helps track down a jewel thief.

When Sam Steele Junior gets a term paper assignment on a visit by the Soviet Premier to the Midwest in the late 1950s he's less than enthused. But when he learns it may lead to treasure, the Junior Detective Agency is on the adventure of a lifetime.