Aggie Hayes has been learning about the northern woods' customs from her father, Harris Hayes, for many years. As a way to combat her melancholy, Aggie draws wild bird nests. Then, her despondent, erratic mother prevents her from climbing the trees, which are her safe haven and source of solace. Aggie, a 10-year-old, starts a terrible fire out of rage and then runs downstream. In an effort to avoid being detected, she lands her boat close to an uninhabited forest and hides among the trees and critters she considers to be her only friends.