The narrator of this story is an unnamed apprentice to Tante Rosie, from whom she is learning the trade of rootworking. Rootworking is a type of black magic mixed with elements of spirituality and gods. Potions, curses, healings, and prayers are practices of rootworking. The apprentice tells the story of Hannah Kemhuff, an older woman, who has come to Tante Rosie seeking revenge on someone from her past who killed her spirit.