Mark invites his Seminole friend Jimmie Boy to go to school with him. The boy's father Willie is angry about his son's contacts with the outside world and Tom must reason with him.
Mark realizes keeping Ben as a pet might not be fair to the bear. He struggles with the decision whether to let Ben return to the wild and find a mate.
A businessman sees 40 acres of wilderness as the perfect place to build homes. He plans to clear the land with a burnoff which Mark and Boomhauer work together to stop.
A bear that has been living in captivity and taught tricks is released into the wild. Wildlife Officer Tom keeps an eye on the animal, learning it has forgotten how to survive in nature and is starving to death.
Mark's mother, is trapped under a crashed vehicle. Husband, Tom, unaware, is competing in a boat race. Mark and Ben must race to get help, against an incoming tide set to engulf the crashed vehicle and his Mother.
Packy and Cluny see how much Ben means to the Wedloe family which makes them believe he's worth kidnapping. But their ransom note gets lost so they have a very hungry and playful bear to take care of.
"Be-e-e-n!" cries Mark, missing his furry friend who stowed away on a Jacksonville-bound produce truck. Misadventures ensue as Ben attempts to escape the city and wend his way home to the heartbroken Wedloes.
As Mark loses hope that Ben will ever return, the homeward-bound bear is found and adopted by an elderly couple of animal trainers who see Ben as their ticket back into the circus business.
Tom has his hands full when he encounters those two crafty swamp rats Reed and Chet. They make a dishonest living capturing wild animals and selling them outside the reserve's boundaries.
Will Ben be in the crosshairs after a big city hunter eager to bag a black bear as a trophy pays a thousand dollars to a corrupt hunting guide to find him one?
When Ben refuses to eat, a desperate Mark sneaks off into the swamp at night to consult the mysterious Mama Jolie, not knowing that he and Ben are the good omen she's been awaiting.
St. Louis Cardinals star pitcher Bob Gibson takes time from his Florida fishing vacation to give the local little leaguers baseball tips and encourages Mark with wise counsel on good sportsmanship.
"Ben's getting to be a drag," bemoans Mark, frustrated that his furry friend is nosing into his new friendship with Steve. But Mark learns a lesson in loyalty when a friend in need is a friend indeed.
