It all hinges around the relationship between the father and daughter - the backstory is left almost entirely to imagination (the girl doesn't remember her mother and the father doesn't reveal why he is damaged). Once they are in care (together) she starts to see another world, but eventually the father finds the tappings of civilisation too much and takes them out. For a while it might be going to work, but dad has an accident in the woods whilst going for food and the girl finds a woodland community where they can recover - in the end he still can stick, and she has to make a choice.