Grandfather Poplar is one the elders among the trees and the oldest of his kind for a far, far distance. He has felt alone among a crowd of trees for more than a century.
This great yellow poplar has chosen to keep mostly to himself for many decades. But in his old age he has come to know and love a human child. Although he often pretends to be a curmudgeon, he has given her his heart, and for the last eight years he has shared his wit and wisdom with Melissa, who stands as tall in spirit as Grandfather Poplar himself.