Nathanael will soon be seven years old, but he still doesn't know how to read. When his Aunt Eléonore bequeaths him her library containing hundreds of books, Nathanael is very disappointed.

However, each of the stories will deliver a marvelous secret: when night falls, little characters - delightful Alice, the Wicked Fairy, terrifying Captain Hook - come out of the books. They must warn Nathanael that they are in great danger and risk disappearing forever. To save his tiny friends and their stories, Nathanael, who the Wicked Fairy has reduced to his friends' size, sets off on adventure.

He bravely confronts the very cunning Pictou, the giant crab and the Hungry Ogre. Will he manage to read the magic formula in time to save them all?