When Curious Connie comes to stay with Jo, Bessie and Fanny, the three children are keen to introduce her to their magical friends in the Faraway Tree – but Connie doesn't believe in magic, or fairy-folk, and pours scorn on everything she sees. Even so, they explore a host of lands, including Nursery Rhyme Land, the land of Dame Slap, and climb up the Ladder That Has No Top, but then disaster strikes: The Faraway Tree is dying – its leaves curling up and no fruit growing on its branches. What is wrong with the magical tree, and can it be saved before it's too late?