Inspired by true events, this novel tells the tale of young Alice Molland, who must grapple with accusations of witchcraft and the persecution of women with mysterious gifts in turbulent seventeenth-century England.
In the tumultuous era of seventeenth-century Exeter, England, Alice Molland, age ten, is forced to attend the brutal execution of her mentor in the healing arts, Goody Luscombe, who has been condemned to death for witchcraft. In the years that follow, with her use of herbs such as mugwort, slippery elm, and comfrey, Alice becomes well known as a magical healer. But such gifts come accompanied by danger in the times she lives in.
At fifteen, Alice becomes captivated by Richard Greenway, the son of a local merchant. Determined to make him hers, she draws him to her by anointing a red candle with rose oil and casting a love spell. But when she becomes pregnant, Richard abandons her and his father raises suspicion that Alice is a witch. Powerless against the mighty Sir William Greenway, Alice must leave Exeter for the village of Ivycombe, where she raises her son, Tommy.
When she is gifted a magic wand, Alice becomes the leader of the Full Moon Worshippers and her reputation as a healer grows—but can she survive in an age of misogyny?
