When James's father disappears up on the moor, the whole village, including James's mum, thinks David Peck has simply 'done a runner'. Unconvinced, James tries to retrace his father's steps and soon finds a weird footprint near the old circle of stones up on the moor. His mind runs riot and in his struggle to get back to the village, he has an asthma attack. He soon encounters a wizard called Mendel, banished to Scotland...