Pia remembers her life changing after her grandmother ignited from the flame of an Advent candle. Overnight, Pia becomes the girl " whose grandmother exploded." All her friends and classmates shun her except for another outsider, StinkStefan. Then Katharina vanishes, and the whole village is on edge. How did a little girl dressed as Snow White just disappear without a trace? Pia and Stefan believe it had to be "Spirits" who took Katharina away. Herr Schillar, a friend of her grandmother's, has been spinning tales of supernatural beings that inhibit their village, like Unshockable Hans, headless ghosts, and haunted cats. Pia wonders if the missing girl is connected to these tales and starts looking for clues. After another girl vanishes, Pia's investigation brings her closer to a reality that is worse than any fairytale.