Miguel, aspiring to become a knight in armor, goes on a quest after the oval crystal of Merlin, the only amulet that can save the kingdom from the spells of the evil witch Dorinda.
When Nina discovers that the things she paints with her new watercolors become real, she uses her magic to save the people of her small Russian village from hunger and oppression.
Children in a writing workshop describe the lives of ten young people with special needs, including a boy with fetal alcohol syndrome, a girl with cerebral palsy, and a boy with dyslexia.