Sixth-former Helen Maxwell moves to scenic Pendle Hill with her family. Pendle Hill hosted the infamous 1612 witch trials, when feuding local families used ancient artefacts to practice witchcraft. Family descendants still remain in the village, but the old ways, feuding and artefacts are long gone. Or are they?

SYNOPSIS:

After moving to scenic Pendle Hill with her family, the heart of sixth-former and protagonist Helen Maxwell breaks, when a falling tree kills her boyfriend Anton Wolfstone. Although natural explanations exist for the accident, it arouses local suspicion of recommenced feuding between notorious 17th Century witch families, descendants of whom still live in the village. Despite her father's objections that like Wolfstone, Flood was one of the original Pendle Hill witch families, Helen accepts a summer job in Mr Flood's village occult bookshop, in an attempt to divert her mind. Local matriarch Ruth Drake, descendant of another old witch family, inexplicably rattles a bookshelf, following a dispute with Flood over the price of a book. A £75 book on using magic to make dreams come true ignites Helen's interest. She can't afford the book, so steals it from the shop. At home, she discovers a small magic wishing stone in a secret compartment inside the book. To her amazement, she uses the stone to make a manifestation of Anton appear in the garden. But the Flood, Drake and Wolfstone families immediately sense the local presence of the long-lost witchcraft artefact. At school, Helen steps in when bully Susan Smith harasses Natasha Wolfstone and Helen's younger brother Paul. After Helen secretly uses the stone to make Anton materialise at the scene of his accident, Paul confides her possession of the stone to Natasha. Natasha convinces Paul to steal the stone for her, in exchange for six bars of chocolate. During a heartfelt chat between Helen and her father, during which he plays an online game of chess, Anton's ghostly hand covertly moves a piece on a board set up to replicate the position. Helen's father doesn't remember making the move, but realises its brilliance wins the game. Susan's flowing hair mysteriously begins to fall out, her friends deserting her, before a sports car almost runs her over. Suspecting an old witch curse, she visits Drake. Drake runs successful beekeeping, and bed and breakfast businesses, her competitors mysteriously falling on hard times. She agrees to help Susan, in exchange for stealing the stone from Natasha. Paul confesses to taking the stone from Helen, admitting Natasha has it. He uses his disbelief in witchcraft as an excuse, but admits local stories of the old all-powerful Demdike witch family frighten him. Upset she can no longer use the stone to summon Anton, Helen visits the Wolfstone house. Natasha truthfully tells Helen that Flood and Drake now observe the Wolfstone house, but falsely claims one stole the stone. Helen wonders about Natasha's solitude. Natasha admits using the stone to wish her nagging grandparents and mother, Mary away, inconsolable it could not then bring them back. Natasha admits to other wishes, Helen realising the reason for Susan's misfortunes. Susan dies with Drake in a car crash. Helen asks Flood about the old witch families. He explains only the Demdikes no longer have descendants in the village, further explaining that Martin Wolfstone, Natasha and Anton's father, committed suicide long ago at the foot of Pendle Hill, after Gareth Yates convinced Martin to invest in a failed business, then had an affair with Mary. Natasha confronts Hood at the bookshop, warning him not to observe her. Despite Natasha's denial of wishing Drake's death, he senses Natasha has the stone, following her into the woods. Yates unexpectedly arrives in the village, purchasing the old abandoned Demdike farmhouse, Tynedale Farm. Anton's ghostly hand kills Yates, setting fire to him with his own cigarette lighter, after drenching him in his own whisky. Anton's hand then kills Flood in the woods, spearing him with a branch, after he tries to kill Natasha to steal the stone. Helen meets Natasha and Mary at Martin's grave, on what would have been his birthday. Natasha returns the stone to Helen, having eventually managed to use it to bring her mother but not grandparents back. Mary permits a last wish to make Anton materialise, before insisting the stone must be destroyed, the old ways abandoned for ever. After enjoying brief contact with his mother and sister, Anton's ghost accompanies Helen on a country stroll. Helen tosses the stone into a river, but fails to notice it resurface amongst pebbles on the opposite riverbank. Anton's ghost admits to killing Yates, the only cousin of one of only two surviving Demdikes. Anton's ghost admits to killing Flood to save Natasha. Sitting with Helen at the top of Pendle Hill at sunset, Anton's ghost agrees that all of her problems are over, Flood's nephew Ben having agreed to keep her on at the bookshop. Anton's ghost summons a butterfly for her, then disappears for ever. A local taxi transports a girl passenger towards the village. She explains she will be engaged on family business, enquiring after Natasha Wolfstone, Ben Flood and Helen Maxwell. The driver asks her name. He slams on his brakes, allowing her to disembark without paying the fare, after she gives the name Kate Demdike. She peers at the bookshop, smiles, then walks into the night...