Ash, a young treefolk, is playing with her friends when she comes across a lost human named Marta. The young girl is cold, hungry, and alone. Ash can’t leave her there, but she knows nothing about humans or where they’re from. This doesn’t stop her from trying to help Marta anyway. The only thing standing in her way is one of the elder treefolk; Bitteralder.

The treefolk call on Marta for help, and there’s no way she would turn them down. This time the lives of the entire treefolk village are at stake. Their desperate situation forces them to come to the one place they fear being exposed: a human town. Marta soon learns that something is draining the life force of the treefolk and several of them are dying.

Marta returns to the treefolk village with her father, and discovers that everything has changed. She is no longer welcome. Unbeknownst to her, Bitteralder, who never liked her, took over the treefolk village and banned all humans. When Marta arrives, she is captured and imprisoned. It’s up to Ash and her other treefolk friends to help Marta break free. Doing so means they will betray Bitteralder who won’t take that betrayal lightly.