Vicky Pootle thinks she is a perfectly normal 11-year-old - until she goes into the Magic Wood, a place her parents have warned her never to go. There she is met by a strange ethereal creature, a tatterdemalion, who tells Vicky that she is needed for a special and dangerous quest. Transported to the Kingdom of the Elves she learns she is a Halfling - part human and part elf - and possesses powers that the elves once had but have lost.The King of the Elves asks Vicky if she will help rescue his daughter and other elfin children who have been abducted by an evil creature we would call a witch. Reluctantly, Vicky agrees and sets off with the tatterdemalion, Ephelia. They are joined, uninvited, by another Halfling, Andron, and the three encounter many dangers before reaching the witch's castle. They are, however, helped by a dragon in return for their rescuing its injured baby. The success of the quest is by no means guaranteed, for in the end Vicky has to face the witch alone and match her magic against the witch's.The story is a fantasy adventure but also one of friendship, commitment and courage. But are these enough for Vicky and her friends to triumph against evil?