While rowdy children climb joyfully in the branches of a huge tree, Ida tends her quiet corner of nature with her friend, Quill the snail. The children scatter in fear when a giant claims the tree as their own, building a high wall to keep others out — separating Ida from Quill. As perpetual winter sets in, the children are horrified to hear the giant preparing to destroy the tree. Amid the sorrow, one small, courageous voice may hold the power to change their fate.

It is the last day of the year 3099. The leader of the Moonfolk — an elder at the age of 12 — asks you to pause your ceaseless survival work to join her in the giant, hollow trunk of the last remaining tree on the Moon. She invites you to do something unthinkable — something that your ancestors, the Earthkind, once had the luxury to do: listen to a story that might lead you on the long journey home.

In a time of famine, siblings Ré and Crann are taken from their father under the guise of apprenticeships. But as they are carted away, they begin to suspect a darker destiny. Their escape finds them lost in a forest filled with danger and promise. Only by learning to read the wisdom found in their natural surroundings will they survive the perilous journey home.