Nick was looking forward to enjoying his day off school, but it turns out his mother has other plans for him.

A long afternoon lies ahead for Nick and Adalbert, and they really don't have much in common. Will they find something fun to do? Adalbert already has an idea, which at first seems rather daunting...

Adalbert's mother thought it was a good idea to give the children a chemistry set – that is, something educational — to play with. But her plan backfires when Nick and Adalbert end up causing quite a bit of trouble!