Aya, born Earwig, was abandoned as an infant at St. Morwald’s Home for Children by her mother, a witch evading twelve pursuers. The orphanage matron rebaptized her Erica Wigg, though she secretly clung to her birth name. A sharp, willful child of ten, she deftly orchestrates the orphanage’s staff and children through calculated mischief, safeguarding her independence by dodging adoption. Her strategy unravels when Bella Yaga, a witch, and Mandrake, an enigmatic sorcerer, forcibly adopt her.

Compelled into servitude as Bella’s assistant, Aya bargains for magic lessons in exchange for chores but is rebuffed. Unshaken, she covertly navigates the magical house, unearthing her guardians’ history as former members of a band also named Earwig. She masters defensive spells to evade magical discipline and crafts a hex that sprouts chaotic extra limbs on Bella, destabilizing her rule.

Clues to her past surface through a cassette tape and visions of a magical car chase from her infancy, hinting at her mother’s ties to the band. Subtle parallels—Bella’s resemblance, Mandrake’s paternal protectiveness, and their shared cunning—suggest latent familial bonds, though unproven. Aya’s alliances with Custard, a loyal friend, and Thomas, a sly talking cat, anchor her amid upheaval.

Her relentless curiosity drives her to expose household secrets and seize command of the magical domain, yet her essence remains fixed: clever, defiant, and disinterested in traditional family roles. The story closes with her mother’s abrupt reappearance, dangling unresolved threads of lineage and destiny while Aya’s tenacious grip on her autonomy stays unbroken.