Strange things have been brewing in the village of Ashlaw in 1923: The once prosperous drapers' shop has gone bankrupt, and three separate families' lives have each been hexed. In tiny, remote Ashlaw, even one of these curses can set the whole village off-kilter. So what could be responsible? Margot, a local, precocious schoolgirl, has been trying to figure this out, especially since hers was one of the three ill-fated families. She comes to a strange conclusion -- each of these curses somehow involves one Linden Grey, the most intriguing woman Margot has ever met.