The faeries of Whispering Wood plan to modernise themselves so that people will start believing in them again. They ask a sprite to teach them about new technology, and inadvertently enlist the help of Finlay, an elficologist, along with Mrs Bell who owns the ice cream shop, and her shifty cat. They also try to hire a newspaper journalist to help with their publicity campaign, and unwittingly become the target of an unscrupulous reporter known as the Horrible Hack. Thankfully, they have the back up of the Wandflower faeries, led by Scabious Violetshifter, editor of the Faerie News, Winter Wolf-Bane his sub-editor, and faerie photo-journalist, Flaxy Blewit, together with Nettle-Wick the troll. Apart from convincing humans that they exist to prevent themselves from fading, dealing with the Horrible Hack, and thwarting the press, the faeries have to fight the black heart, a faerie who is lurking in Whispering Wood with the darkest of intentions. Written with a liberal dash of humor, the story is really about the interaction of the characters, showing the worst of faerie and human nature at its magical best.