Tiffany Aching has spent most of her career as a witch up in the Lancre Mountains, where people have learned to respect them or face Granny Weatherwax's wrath. But now she has moved back home to the Chalk, where pointy black hats are still eyed with deep suspicion. Still, the people here know her- almost all of them watched her run around in nappies at age two. Surely they won't start to believe the strange rumors about her- or would they? Someone is spreading them and they are getting too dangerous to ignore.