Fifteen-year-old Dusty, a ward of the state, is forced to work in a logging camp during the Depression. Despite the bleakness of her life, spirited Dusty dreams of escape.

One day, a mysterious seagull delivers some unusual seeds to Dusty. Her whole life changes when she plants them. Perhaps it is the strength of her wishes, or the magic of the forest, but some unknown power transforms the tiny seeds into an astonishing creature--and a possible means of deliverance. Now Dusty and her friends have a way to navigate the enchanted, though dangerous, forest, and escape the wretched existence they've been trapped in all their lives.

Richly layered with fairy-tale lore and steeped in both the familiar and the darker elements of the Cinderella story, Patrick Jennings's inspired novel weaves a compelling tale about finding freedom, and finding oneself.