In many forests, there is a "Paper Birch Council" made of very old and very wise paper birch trees and their tree elves. They serve to keep the forest and the fairy world informed. Few people know of this council, but one person who does is Miss Hadley, a school teacher. She understands the powerful abilities of the birch and their devoted elves; and when she has an important message, she takes her three young students on a hike to the Paper Birch Council to deliver it.