Having treated her several months for a rare form of blood cancer, the children's hospital where she had been staying has failed to put Serena into remission. Fearing that she has just weeks or days to live, they send her home to Laresfield to be with her mother and father. The townspeople, not really understanding just how ill she is, decide they want to do something special for Serena; something that will hopefully be special to her financially troubled parents, as well. Having contacted Alice Deepriver who represents the Make-A-Wish Foundation in the town of Gray Lake, the residents of Laresfield anxiously assemble at the Fielding's residence to hear Serena's wish. Serena however, just wishing she could get well, and being too sick to leave her home, stuns everyone with a request that is impossible to grant. Everyone is disappointed, everyone except Alice Deepriver. Suspecting Serena's unique wish is actually symbolic for something very special; Alice returns to the unusual town of Gray Lake, where she sets Serena's Wish free.