For nine-year-old Lundy Trout, life in rural Pennsylvania in the 1860's is filled with adventure and peril. When wolves kill Lundy's best friend, Lundy's awareness of the many dangers lurking in the dark forest that surrounds the Trout family farm turns into an irrational fear. Through his friendship with a local Native American, Lundy learns to understand that the forest can be a place that provides refuge from the white man's world. What was once fear turns into curiosity and wonder as Lundy interacts with the many wild animals and people he encounters as he ventures deeper into the forest.