Wendell is just a kid trying to enjoy his life in the mountains of North Carolina. Things are hard because his mother; Vera, left when he was only a baby. She was known throughout town to be a little bit odd, obsessed with folklore and town mythology, and the school bullies don't like to let him forget it. As hard as the bullies can be on him, Wendell has two best friends and a loving grandmother that have filled his life, until now.

When Wendell begins to show curiosity in the town's legend of the Wind Folk, Granny Dess tries to dissuade him to keep him from ending up like his mother. Granny Dess feels he would be happier if he would look toward the future and not the past. She does whatever she can to try to make sure that he doesn't get caught up in what she considers foolishness and fantasy. But, after witnessing some very strange and magical occurrences, Wendell's curiosity wins out and he begins to secretly search for information into the town's infamous legend.

Wendell and his friends, both human and animal, embark on a journey to discover the truth about the Wind Folk and where his mother really is. His world of baseball, camp-outs, and fishing is rocked when he discovers that the adults in town know a lot more than they say, and sometimes those tales told around a campfire are true. And, when it comes to the Wind Folk; it is said if you see one, you become one.