For 100 years, the great clock in Villette, France, had told the time for the townspeople but it had also kept the city safe. Twice, as enemies tried to invade the town, a mechanical man emerged from the clock and struck a loud bell to warn the citizens. Was it magic? No one knew. Maria was the 8-year-old daughter of the clock winder, a job he had inherited from his father. Maria was curious about many things, but especially about the clock. How did it work? People laughed at the little "Question Box" until the day her curiosity about the Great Clock saves the town.
