Mae Tuck set out for the woods of Treegap as she did once every ten years to meet her two sons Miles and Jesse.
The author describes how the cows grazing made the trail around the forest instead of into it due to their instincts. The chapter also conveys that if the cows did create a trail into the woods instead of around it, there would be a stupendous amount of trouble caused.
Mae Tuck talks to her husband and then prepares to depart for the forest to meet up with her two sons.
Winnie Fredricks was introduced. She seemed to dislike her home and the rules, we learned this by reading her conversation with a toad.
A strange man comes to Winnie's house and talks to her. He asks about other families before Winnie's mother interrupts by telling Winnie to come inside. Before they go inside a strange music starts playing and Winnie's grandmother claims it's elf music.
Winnie journeys away from her home and into their woods. She finds a strange boy named Jesse, that she describes as "beautiful", leaning on a tree in a clearing. They talk and she asks to take a drink from a spring she saw him drinking from. The boy panics before his family shows up.
Winnie is kidnapped by the Tuck's. They put her onto their horse and run through the woods. When they leave the woods, the strange man from before sees them and, without them knowing, follows them.
The tucks explained to Winnie about their secret. The tucks explain to her that they don't get older and that they don't get hurt.
Now that the Tucks have told Winnie their secret they act more gentle around her and feel better. Once Winnie knows, she goes with them to their home. On the way they always try to catch her attention and amuse her.
The Tucks and Winnie travel to the Tuck's home. On the way Winnie gets a sunburn and Mae gives Winnie her hat to wear. They travel through some fields before they come to the pine forest that the Tucks live at. Winnie meets Angus Tuck at their house and he says her meeting them is "the best thing that's happened in 80 years".
Winnie explores the house while the boys swim in the tiny lake next to the house. She is surprised by how dirty the house is but doesn't say anything about it as Mae explains that the sometimes make things to sell in other towns when they need some things. When Mae is showing Winnie where the boys stay they come back inside.
In chapter 11 the Tucks and Winnie are eating dinner when Winnie complained that she wanted to go home. All of the Tucks explain that she has to stay then Angus Tuck takes her out onto the lake to explain more about their secret.
In chapter 12, Angus and Winnie go out onto the boat and talk about the Tuck's secret. Winnie explains what would happen if too many people knew about the spring and how horrible it is to be immortal. When it gets later, Miles announces that someone stole their horse.
In chapter 13, the man in the yellow suit arrives at Winnie's home with the stolen horse and tells them he's found Winnie.
In chapter 14 the Tucks decide to wait until morning to worry about the horse. They all go to sleep but Winnie has trouble sleeping. At one point in the night Mae Tuck comes to Winnie and comforts her, then Angus, and finally Jesse. Jesse talks to Winnie and says that maybe they could wait until she turns 17 and then she could drink from the spring, and they could get married. Winnie is surprised and after he leaves she manages to fall asleep.
In chapter 15, the yellow suited man bargains with Winnie's family. They make a deal that he will go find Winnie and bring her back if they sell him the wood. He pretends to be on their side when he is really just using them to get the wood.
In chapter 16, the yellow man leads the fat constable towards the Tuck home. Once they are headed towards it he tells the constable he will go ahead and find Winnie first.
In chapter 17 Miles and Winnie go onto the lake to fish. They talk about immortality and when Miles catches a fish Winnie watches it start to die and makes him put it back in the water.
In chapter 18 the Tucks and Winnie are having breakfast and the man in the yellow suit shows up at the door.
In chapter 19, the man in the yellow suit shows up at the Tuck's house and tells them that the Foster's agreed to give him the wood so he would go get Winnie back. He explained he wanted to sell the water and get rich. He tries to take Winnie away but Mae Tuck attacks him and hits him in the head with the gun barrel. The constable arrives just as Mae attacks the yellow man.
In chapter 20 the constable tells the Tuck's that he has to bring Mae to the jail and if the man in yellow dies she will be hung. This worries the Tucks because if the town finds out they can't die they will probably find out about the spring.
In chapter 21 Winnie heads back to her home with the constable and Mae.
In chapter 22 Winnie is back home with her family. They dote on her when she first arrives and ask her questions about where she was. Once her family leaves her alone she goes to her room and decides she needs to do something to help Mae.
In chapter 23, when Winnie is outside near the fence Jesse comes and talks to her. They decide that Winnie will meet him outside at midnight and they will go to rescue Mae. Winnie falls asleep and wakes up just before she has to meet him.
In chapter 24, Winnie sneaks out of her house at midnight and goes with Jesse to the jail house. They meet up with the other Tucks and Miles works to remove the barred window. It starts to rain and thunder, the thunders masks the sound of the nails coming out of the building so they aren't caught. Winnie switches places with Mae and the Tucks leave.
In chapter 25 Winnie sits in the jail cell and stays awake all night until the constable finds her. Since she is too young to be put in jail he lets her go. Her family is disappointed but they aren't too mad at her. A while later, Winnie is sitting inside the fence and sees the toad get attacked by a dog. She rescues it and pours the spring water onto it so it won't ever die.
In the epilogue, the Tucks return to Treegap in the future to look for Winnie. The town has changed a lot and the forest is gone because a fire started at one point so the town bulldozed it. The Tucks go and check the cemetary and find Winnie's grave.