Pippa Rede--a contemporary witch and devoted mother of nine-year-old Winterbelle--struggles for subsistence in a frigid northeeastern corner of America. When her daughter is stolen from her by bigots and zeealots who have labeled Pippa an unfit parent, Pippa retreats into the dark, wild wood on a transforming inner quest, determined to unlock the strengths she will need to win back her Winterbelle.