Set in the times of the Genesis flood narrative, Dave is a Nestrian, a clumsy, silly-looking, brightly coloured creature whose only skills are making comfortable nests and secreting a foul smelling cloud of blue gas whenever he gets scared for his life. Dave is constantly moving around searching for a place to stay, a real home, much to the dismay of Finny, his son, who only wants to make friends. After hearing a rumor of a colossal wave that is said to cover the whole world, Dave packs up again and takes Finny to a giant gathering of animals where their only salvation awaits: a huge Noah's Ark, big enough to fit in all the animals of the world, and built by a very nice human named Noah.