Mary Smith, an eleven-year-old with fiery red pigtails, piercing blue eyes, and a constellation of freckles, battles feelings of inadequacy and restless energy after moving to her Great-Aunt Charlotte’s secluded estate in northern England. She earnestly tackles household chores, though her efforts often falter through clumsy mishaps. Her solitude deepens without friends to confide in, while Peter, a local boy, taunts her appearance and stumbles, sharpening her self-doubt.

A chance encounter with a luminescent “fly-by-night” flower in the woods ignites a transformative journey. Its magic bestows fleeting witch-like powers, propelling her on a sentient broomstick to Endor College, a hidden academy for witches. Awed by shimmering corridors and whispering spells, she captures the leaders’ attention—her crimson locks, a mark of legendary witches, and seemingly natural spellcasting spark their interest. But when she reveals the flower’s secret, their admiration curdles. Cornered, Mary uncovers their cruel experiments—enchanted creatures and vanished villagers trapped in twisted trials.

Fleeing through hidden passages, she stumbles upon Charlotte’s truth: her aunt once defied Endor’s elders, resisting the flower’s corrupting allure. This legacy steels Mary’s resolve—she spurns magical shortcuts, clinging instead to her own grit. When the coven kidnaps Peter, Mary risks everything, wielding a salvaged spellbook to dismantle their dark magic, thread by perilous thread.

In the end, she buries the last fly-by-night bulb in forgotten soil, rejecting borrowed power. Her hands, once trembling, now steady themselves—not by spells, but by hard-won courage. Where a timid girl once stood now strides a guardian who chooses slow, sure progress over easy enchantments, her compass fixed on justice, not jinxes.