Until Jesse meets Leslie (a girl, inspite of the spelling), he is afraid of his own abilities. He wants to be the best runner in the 5th grade, but his real talent is for drawing. Leslie is lonely too, and together they make their magical kingdom of Terabithia in the woods. The magic holds until the terrible day that Leslie is killed when she goes by herself to Terabithia, where a storm has caused flooding. Jesse is finally able to rebuild the bridge to Terabithia, and he takes his younger sister into the kingdom with him - not as a replacement for Leslie, but as someone new to share it with.