Rose and Star meet at a child welfare home for abandoned kids and form a special bond. They come from similar backgrounds, but they have something else in common, too: a love of cats. The young girls rescue two small felines under strange circumstances. Shadow is found hiding in a pit during a forest fire, and Pearl is saved from an attack of angry squirrels. As their friendship develops-between the girls and the cats-a twist of fate has them running for cover. The eldest staff member at the welfare home, Eliza, threatens to send Rose and Star to boarding school, so they escape! However, they lose their precious pets in the process and now must find Shadow and Pearl before it's too late. Tobie, a regular at the inn where the girls hide out, assists them in their search and gives them newfound confidence. They make other friends, as well, but some enemies, too. The most important thing is finding their friendly felines, but amazing things happen when the girls realize their cats are actually magic and have powers they could never have imagined.