For years the picture of the man with the oxcart has hung on the wall of her Aunt and Uncle's house. It never occurred to Tory that one day she might actually find herself in the picture. She frees Neal, an imp who has been imprisoned in Castle Hildegard for two hundred years. Together, they journey through the world of the Kingdom Trees, racing to break the spell that has bound the world together - in war. King Delphic is bent on taking the spell for himself, and becoming monarch of all. Tory and Neal find help among the Bards and the Cloud Jumpers, along with some who are not as trustworthy as they seem. The World Tree is not the universe of Good and Evil; it's leaves are shades of gray. Check out a tale where no fairies are hurt, but everything else is up for grabs.