Billy Bunch is an orphan who has had many foster families. All his foster families did not work out. He is currently living with a foster mother in the suburbs of a city and they are not happy together. At school Billy is not good at subjects, especially English (he cannot read out loud because he stutters). One night, while Billy tries to run away, he runs into the nearby abandoned land where there are the ruins of a monastery. There is plentiful wildlife in this place. Others call the place "The Waste Ground". Billy calls it his "Wilderness." Billy loves and become part of the nature and wildlife there. He finds more comfort in this place while he rescues an injured swan and nurtures some fox cubs.