Forty years before the infamous Salem witch trials, Lydia Gilbert was tried for witchcraft in Connecticut. She had lived peacefully, as a valued healer and magistrate's wife, within her small community for over twenty years, but suddenly something changed. Lydia's neighbors, long-time acquaintances and relatives unexpectedly turned against her, recasting her as a feared social pariah. Based on a true story, Suzanne Ress's novel makes history come alive in surprising, often inexplicable, ways.