Fisherman’s son Benjamin - Bennie - Stout is a boy with a heart of gold who always gets himself into trouble. His St. Nicholas wish list includes a pedal car, just like the one the sneaky mayor’s son Roderick has. These are the depression years in the 1930s and because the haul falls short, his father stays in Spain a little longer to earn some extra money. Bennie now only has one wish left: that his father will come home. If need be, he will go and get him from Spain himself. He catches Roderick erasing his name from the Bad Children list in St. Nicholas’ Great Book when an idea occurs to him. He quickly adds his name to the list, which lands him a place in St. Nicholas’ bag. But the saint does not understand that Bennie doesn’t mind going to Spain.

Teacher Jochem sticks to the plan he has drawn up for the week-long study trip - in teams, the students will complete various assignments, the highlight of which will be a survival drop at the end of the week. Jochem tries to motivate the students, but has a hard time of it. Their tangled web of contradictory interests is not good for harmonious cooperation. Jochem has been over-optimistic in this respect and very soon the students' own agendas are revealed.