Reeling from the death of his mother, 11-year-old Will Donnelly (Max Morrow) finds solace in the unexpected friendship he develops with Randall (voiced by Dave Foley), a smart-aleck talking goose recently captured by Will's neighbor, Congreve Maddox (Chevy Chase). When he learns that Maddox plans to slaughter Randall for an upcoming town cook-off, Will hatches a plan to liberate his pal from impending doom.