9Five-year-old Dove is ecstatic about everything around her, particularly the forest near her home. In her town, however, nature is outlawed from praise and exploration. She gets sent away for 10 long years when the King finds out she is fascinated by nature. He considers this to be a spell of insanity and a risk to the entire town. Later in this exile, her little sister gets banished to the forest where she finds Dove. They stay together until the King sends for Dove, but she doesn't know why.

A mission is set that Dove and her friends and family struggle to complete. Dove must help the same man who forced her out of her home, hoping her "sickness" would not spread. The children must help him, or their city will fall apart. They must accept the challenge and take a journey they may or may not survive.