Out of a collection of soft toys sitting on a shelf, Dilly Bog is just one of the characters in the children's TV show, 'Shelf Life'. After being awoken into human form to learn the lesson of kindness for an episode he meets the Narrator, a voice in the sky, a rat called Mrs. Bon Bon, and the audience who he sees through the screen. When Dilly Bog discovers he has no concept of feeling, as he's full of stuffing, learning kindness now seems pointless. He rebels against the show's structure and interrogates the characters about his existence and purpose. This threatens the world of the show, which puts everyone, including the audience, at risk of a toy gone rogue.