The son of a lumberjack, at his father's behest, cuts down his first tree. The annual rings on the cut surface remind him of a fingerprint. Realizing that he has made an irreparable mistake, the boy runs away into the depths of the forest, where he encounters a living tree that transports him to the Spirit of the Forest. This mysterious creature explains to the boy the true essence of the relationship between man and nature and returns him to his family. Now the boy must convince his father and other lumberjacks to abandon the work they have been doing all their lives.