As the novel opens, nineteen-yearold Polly looks at a photograph entitled "Fire and Hemlock," which causes her to remember that many years ago she had known someone named Thomas Lynn. From the outset, Polly is both frustrated and confused by her difficulty in remembering what happened or who Tom is. By thinking back to when she was only ten years old, Polly is slowly able to reconstruct her memories and discover what happened.

When Polly first met Tom, she was a timid girl with a fear of adventure.

However, she felt it was "fated" that the two would become friends, and together they make up stories, with Tom in the role of hero and Polly as assistant hero. Initially, both Polly and Tom fit their heroic roles only in their imaginations, but they eventually find that their courage to be true heroes will come...