During World War Two young Penny is evacuated from London to the country with a handful of others. The group find themselves at Papineau house, on the edge of a dense forest, and are told by the house keeper that they will remain there until a family can be found to take them in. Alone and frightened Penny befriends Primrose, and together they slip away into a fantasy game involving fairies and magical protection. One night the girls follow the mysterious gardener, whom they believe to be the fairy king, into the forest and their fairytale turns into a haunting nightmare. Years later Penny revisits the old house, and resolves to confront what she saw, or thought she saw, in the forest.