Meet Hester. A child of dark beginnings and few words. Living a painfully sheltered existence forced upon her by reclusive parents, Hester befriends the inanimate objects in her sheltered life: Cat, Broom, Handle and Axe all speak to her, urging Hester to go out into the world and enjoy the rich experience of life. When Hester's parents are forced to send her to school, the little girl is overjoyed at meeting children her own age and making her first real friend - Mary. But her pleasure is cruelly taken away from her and she returns to the overwhelming oppressiveness of home. But no one can stop Hester from growing up and it is when innocence becomes experience that she finds the strength to take action. All she has endured in her short life culminates in a climactic moment that will change her life forever.