After his father enlists in the service in World War II in the wake of his mother's sudden demise, young Wendell is forced to relocate to Vermont to live under the watchful eye of his aunt Sybil. In these new and unfamiliar surroundings, the angry young Wendell re-imagines himself as a wizard with magical powers and sets out to plot a daring escape. But as Wendell begins to grow on his eccentric relatives, he in turn finds himself feeling increasingly at home.