Kip had been Chloe's best friend since childhood, sharing her deep love of nature and all its living creatures. When he is injured in an accident in the forest, trying to protect a stag from a hunter's bullet, Kip falls into a coma that puzzles his doctors. Though physically healing, he shows no signs of returning to mental consciousness. Chloe becomes convinced that he has crossed over into another world and is determined to bring her friend back to reality. With the guidance of strange creatures, including a genial beast known as Celestial Tapir, Chloe follows Kip into a wondrous and terrifying journey. She is led through magical forests and mirrored mazes, into the depths of Oceanus, and ultimately to the palace of the gods. Along the way, she befriends a whimsical collection of animal allies, as well as the heroic stag. From the animals, Chloe learns the laws of nature and the inevitable sacrifices necessary for its ultimate survival.

In the Tradition of Alice in Wonderland, the author Shigeru Takeuchi has created a magical adventure populated with colorful and profound characters who teach Chloe --- and the reader --- the value and order of all living creatures in the natural world. Elements of Buddhism, Christianity, and Greek mythology are woven into a common philosophy extolling the powers of imagination, and the sanctity of life in every form in VEGETABLE: The Man Who Transfigured Into Half Plant and Half God.