Barry B. Benson is a bee who just graduated from college and is disillusioned with his lone career choice: working for Honex to make honey in New Hive City. Soon, Barry decides to venture into the big wide wondrous world of Manhattan and meets the quirky Vanessa, who is a human florist who's boyfriend is allergic to bees and repeatedly tries to kill the bee. Barry soon develops a relationship with Vanessa, which started with the now infamous quote "Ya like jazz?" which broke one of the laws of beedom: never talk to humans. While living in the big city of New York, getting a crash course on humans, Barry discovers humans have been stealing and eating the honey that the bees made and subsequently decides to file a class-action lawsuit against humans for stealing their honey.

In the case, Barry goes up against Layton T. Montgomery, a lawyer protecting the companies. After verifying that yes, he is a talking bee. Barry sends a bear into the room to frighten Layton and to serve as evidence. A fight then breaks out, which results in Montgomery being stuck in a wheelchair-thing. At the second day of the trial, Layton asks why they aren't getting anywhere with the case, and soon after he pulls out a farming tool used for getting honey, which harms the bees. The case ends and the bees win.

So, Barry succeeds and demands the shutdown of all five of the major honey producers that have been using the bees as workers unfairly. The only problem is that the bees stop pollinating flowers, so all the plant life dies and the world turns barren. Barry, with the help of all of the other bees, realizes their species made a mistake and carry out a massive operation to pollinate the world. It succeeds, and the credits roll.