The novel’s protagonist, Mika Moon is a 31-year-old witch of Indian descent living in England. Like all witches, Mika is an orphan. She was raised by Primrose and cared for by a series of nannies and tutors, and Primrose wiped their memories of Mika upon their leaving the job to keep Mika’s magic and peculiarities a secret. As a result, Mika guarded herself against the potential pain of getting close to people, which worked out perfectly for her because Primrose’s rules prevent witches from getting close to other witches or revealing their magic to non-witches.

When Mika takes the job at Nowhere House, she’s under the impression that it will be yet another in a string of short-term jobs that she leaves in a few months with no connections to the people there. However, Mika breaks with Primrose’s rules to work with the young witches of Nowhere House, perhaps because of her yearning for connection. Mika struggles to let others in because “she had never belonged anywhere and had never been enough for anybody” (197). However, she finds it difficult to keep her promise to herself—“don’t get attached” (242)—after forming bonds with the residents of Nowhere House, particularly Jamie.