Twelve-year old orphan Adia's aunt and uncle believe she's an ogbanje, a demon-possessed child that brings misfortune wherever they go, and Adia can't disagree, especially when she suddenly manifests mysterious powers that she can't control. When Adia is offered an apprenticeship at the Academy of Shamans, she heads there with her pouch of change and her cat, hoping they can help fix her magic problem. When she arrives, she realizes that the kingdom's emperor really is possessed by a demon. Adia must learn to travel through the hidden realm to exorcise the emperor and save the kindgom. But to succeed, she must first come to understand the powers inside her.