When a mysterious stranger & his brown bear show up on the same day that Axel & Tess's father dies in an accident Axel fears he might be going crazy especially as only he can see them However the strange duo are quickly forgotten when Axel & Tess are shipped off to Finland to stay with grandparents that they've never met But when they arrive in Finland Axel is stunned when the stranger & his bear reappear More incredibly the stranger tells him that his parents are lost & need help Desperate to see his father again & actually meet his mother Axel follows the man & his bear disappearing deep into the frozen wilds of northern Finland When Tess realises that her brother has vanished she's distraught & so begins the frantic search across snow & ice into the dark forest But as the hours creep by & with no sign of Axel Tess begins to wonder if her brother has ventured onto a path that she cannot follow Delving into the timeless fantastical world of Nordic mysticism set against the harsh beauty of a frozen landscape The Winter Placeis an imaginative beautiful story of loss love & hope a story of family & of a brother & sister who find each other again