Twelve-year-old Willa Fuller is convinced that the old folks in the shabby boarding house down the street are prisoners of their sinister landlady, Miss Trang. Only when Willa is hired on as housekeeper does she discover the truth, which is far more fascinating. Eldritch Manor is a retirement home for some very strange beings indeed. All have stories to tell—and petty grievances with one another and the world at large. Storm clouds are on the horizon, however, and when Miss Trang departs on urgent business, Willa is left to babysit the cantankerous bunch. Can she keep the oldsters in line, stitch up unravelling time, and repel an all-out attack from the forces of darkness … all while keeping the nosy neighbours out of their business and uncovering a startling secret about her own past?

After battling and defeating the forces of darkness, Willa is looking forward to a little well-earned peace and quiet. Unfortunately, her recent adventures have given birth to brand-new problems, not the least of which is the task of rebuilding Eldritch Manor from the ground up. The old folks are getting into more and more trouble and Willa is in the middle of it: Mab’s fairies have declared war on the dwarf construction crew, Willa’s Mom and Belle aren’t speaking to each other, the Phoenix squawks all night long, Baz is running amok with the neighbourhood cats, Horace is acting weird, and Miss Trang is never around when you need her. To be perfectly honest, Willa is starting to think the forces of darkness were easier to handle than her family and friends.

Just when things seem to have calmed down at Eldritch Manor, spring comes with new complications. The King of the Fairies arrives with his entourage, and mistakes in Mab’s knitting cause ruptures in time that make a supernatural portal open in the backyard pool. And on top of all that, Willa uncovers a shocking secret about her Mom.