In his first adventure alone after his father's death, young William Walkingstick has stumbled upon a new world-a world of bitties and hat towns, giants and faeries, woodsmen and enchanted forests. His first acquaintance in this new land is a friendly giant named Eril, who wears a most amazing hat. Upon Eril's hat sits an elegant miniature town with little houses and shops, cobblestone streets, and lampposts shining with pinpricks of light. William is smitten with the tiny folk who live there, the bitties, and dreams of someday earning his very own hat town. But adventure comes William's way when the hat towns are stolen by Egad the Terrible, and he finds himself caught up in a heart-stopping rescue mission. Drawing from the quiet strength of a gentle giant, inspired by the unassuming and sometimes rib-tickling spunk of a lion-hearted bittie, and urged on by the determined faith of a wayward faerie, William learns the meaning of true bravery and realizes he has possessed it all along.