Rob, who passes the time in his rural Florida community by wood carving, is drawn by his spunky but angry friend Sistine into a plan to free a caged tiger.

A novice wood carver is momentarily defeated when people laugh at the result of a winter of work.

Plain Kate's odd appearance and expertise as a woodcarver cause some to think her a witch, but friendship with a talking cat and, later, with humans help her to survive and even thrive in a world of magic, charms, and fear.

Lacking her sisters' awe-inspiring beauty, Belle withdraws from society, devoting her time to wood carving. Secretly Belle longs to find the fabled Heartwood Tree which, if carved by the right hands, will reveal the face of one's true love. During a fierce storm, Belle's father stumbles upon the mysterious Heartwood and encounters a terrifying and lonely beast. Now Belle must carve the Heartwood to save her father, and learn to see not with the eyes...