When his uncle invents a time machine that can summon people from the past, T.J. has his hands full with a seventeenth-century pirate T.J. O'Brien witnesses a break-in behind the library. But when he sees the burglar--a real, live pirate--he realizes he can't go to the police. They'd never believe him! He decides to talk it over with his eccentric uncle Ainsley. But when he arrives at Ainsley's house, he finds the pirate sitting on the floor, eating a chicken leg and watching TV. His uncle's new invention, a time machine, brought Captain Billy here from his life on the high seas. Billy has been getting into terrible trouble, picking pockets and burglarizing businesses, and the police are sure to catch up with him eventually. T.J. and Uncle Ainsley can't send the captain back to 1690 because the time machine is broken. And their biggest problem? Captain Billy has discovered game shows and Big Macs--he doesn't want to go home!