Beryl and Carol are twelve-year-old best friends living in England in 1997. They love their river and their beautiful little town. But there is a real threat that they will soon be separated. Worse, they are constantly tormented by bullies, and one day they are cornered with no way out. To evade the bullies, they escape into the nearby Forbidden Forest, where their terrifying, exhilarating, and noble adventure begins.