Hoping to be taken seriously by Rotten Tooth, who is supposed to be training them to be pirates, nine-year-old Pete leads his friends in an attempt to beat the grown-ups in finding the treasure buried on Snake Island and stealing it from the giant snake that guards it.

When a friendly and talented rattlesnake slithers into Dustpan, Texas, he must prove his value to the residents of the town before the sheriff will allow him to stay.