9-year-old Eva (Thora Birch) dreams of owning a pet, but her mother (Mimi Rogers) doesn't think she's ready and her father (Christopher McDonald) is allergic to animals. One day, she finds a lost capuchin monkey, names him Dodger and secretly brings him home with her. It turns out that Dodger has been trained as an expert pickpocket that and his evil master, the gypsy Azro (Harvey Keitel), wants him back. It's all Eva can do to keep herself and her mischievous new companion out of trouble.