The short begins with a quarrel: Chirol discovers his beloved buried bone is missing and wrongly believes KOEUB has discarded it. The argument escalates, resulting in KOEUB fleeing the house in tears. She runs to the harbor, only to be seized by shadowy figures who recognize her as a "valuable Southeast Asian girl" and forcibly take her aboard a departing vessel.
Meanwhile, Chirol realizes his mistake—the bone had simply been buried a few feet away. Filled with remorse, he races to the harbor, only to witness KOEUB’s abduction. Without hesitation, he commandeers a rowboat and sets off across the waves in pursuit.
The climax occurs at sea, where Chirol catches up to the larger ship and bravely confronts the captors—an ominous group referred to in fan discussions as the "Shadow People." After a series of tense and chaotic encounters, Chirol manages to rescue KOEUB and the two escape together.
The short ends on a quiet note, with the pair resting peacefully under a tree, reconciled and united by the day’s events.
Taken Aboard! stands out as one of the most narratively intense entries in the KOEUB and Chirol series. Though maintaining the rubber-hose aesthetic and physical comedy, the short introduces darker thematic elements—including miscommunication, abduction, and redemption.
The silhouetted captors, lacking facial detail except for glowing eyes, were likely inspired by contemporary fears and pulp fiction imagery. Their portrayal has since become a subject of interest among animation historians and horror media scholars.
Unusually, this short contains no spoken dialogue beyond expressive gasps and cries, relying entirely on visual storytelling and music to convey its plot. It is remembered for its bold tonal shift and remains a favorite among longtime viewers for its emotional resonance and atmospheric tension.