Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie stay with the character, referred to in this book only as "the Professor", at his great house in the country to escape the Blitz.

A wardrobe in this house leads Lucy to Narnia; when her siblings do not believe her story, the Professor speaks to them wisely and shows them that she is logically likely to be telling the truth.

Against Polly's vehement opposition, Digory rings the bell, thus waking Queen Jadis, the last living resident of Charn, from her self-imposed enchanted sleep.

Digory resolves to take her back to Charn, but instead accidentally brings her (and Uncle Andrew and others) into the empty world of Narnia shortly before Aslan starts creating it.

With Aslan's permission and blessing, Digory is allowed to take an apple from this tree back to his world to cure his mother.