Charlie Ashanti can speak Cat. He takes it for granted, but when his mum and dad go missing, the cats are the only friends he can turn to. Setting out to find his parents, Charlie stows away on a circus ship. On board he meets six lions who need his help. They embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

Charlie Ashanti, the hero of LIONBOY, speaks cat - the language of all cats wild and domestic alike. His unusual talent helps him on his quest to find his kidnapped parents who have discovered a cure for asthma. The local cats of his home town (a futuristic London) start him on his search to solve the mystery of his missing parents, which leads him across the channel on board a circus ship bound for Paris. It is on this wonderful vessel that Charlie establishes a close relationship with the homesick circus lions who become his accomplices. But Charlie is in danger, for close behind him on his trail, is a crony of the mysterious group who have kidnapped his parents. They want Charlie too.