London, 1596 and 2010. Two lives, four centuries apart, but with a dark secret that ties them together. It's summer, and the vibrant world of the theatre barge is coming to life. It's Lally's world and the only one she's ever known. But when her father pulls an ancient piece of wood from the canal and fashions it into a puppet, strange things begin to happen. Soon Lally starts to wonder whether there is something sinister about the wooden doll - could she be connected to the mysterious hagwitch? A gripping tale of myth, magic and the secret world of the theatre.