Jules McShultz was promised a dog. Supposedly, she'd get one once her family moved from the city to the suburbs. But then her parents decided it still wasn't the right time. So Jules does what any intelligent girl would do. Instead of sulking, she enters an essay contest and wins first prize: A purebred Collie. And no one - not even Jules' parents - can resist Penny, who is clearly Jules's perfect new canine pal. Jules and Penny are ready to spend the summer exploring the woods by the house. But the woods are not at all what they seem to be. Magic and adventure await them just on the other side of an old stone wall.