When the Witch of Barren Hollow comes to collect her due (Jordan Wheeler's first-born child on the eve of the child's third birthday), Curtis Wheeler is taken from his loving, tame family life and whisked away into a world where curses, goblins, and fae are real and every bit as dangerous as the folk tales say. It is therefore a very good thing that Curtis Wheeler is no ordinary child. He finds nothing but satisfaction in his new situation; miraculously enjoying life in the home of the hostile witch and ultimately discovering that he is the Keeper of Barren Hollow. At the age of seven, due to a highly unusual sequence of events, Curtis meets with his predecessor, Kinlea Waltham, the current Keeper of Haneth's End, and together with a kitten who fancies himself the greatest thief in the world, they set out to find and rescue Barren Hollow's cursed and alienated guardians. This task in itself is easier said than done, but the witch sets out to make it impossible, attacking Curtis' and Kinlea's every weakness along the way. After all, if they fail and she succeeds, she can erase the effects of her life's greatest regret: helping Kinlea live to save the world.