Emma has an egg. When it hatches, a daemon will enter the world and grant her wish.  Emma knows all about grandmother’s daemons that she keeps hidden in the backyard. The sly old witch pretends they’re chickens, and Emma helps her keep the secret. That secret will become too heavy to bear when something happens to grandmother. Now Emma must take care of the daemons on her own while she tries to unravel the dark mysteries of grandmother's contracts with the other world. The girl tries to keep the daemons out of trouble, but they're intent on mischief as they run wild through the town. The daemons are her friends, but they serve another dark master. She never would have helped them if she knew what their master wanted.