Stone-in-the-Glen, once a lovely town, has fallen on hard times. Fires, floods, and other calamities have caused the people to lose their library, school, park, and even their neighborliness. Only the clever children of the Orphan House and the kindly ogress at the edge of town can see how dire the town's problems are. Then one day a child goes missing from the Orphan House. At the mayor's suggestion, all eyes turn to the ogress. The orphans know this can't be; the ogress secretly delivers gifts to the people of Stone-in-the-Glen. But how can the orphans tell the story of the ogress's goodness to people who refuse to listen? And how can they make their neighbors see the real villain in their midst?