Legends tell of a witch who became a queen – the heartless villain in the story of Snow White. But her real "once upon a time" begins when she is just Ayleth, a young witch who lives in the forest with her coven. There, the witches practice their magic in secret, hiding from the White King and his brutal war against witchcraft. Ayleth, however, faces a war of her own. Her magical gifts have yet to reveal themselves and, as the threat of the Royal Huntsmen intensifies, Ayleth fears she will never become the witch her coven needs. Ayleth sets out on a perilous quest that sends her to the White Palace. There, Ayleth encounters an unlikely figure from her past: Jacquetta, a witch who once held Ayleth’s heart—and then betrayed her. Ayleth finds herself caught in the web of the White King, whose dark charisma is as dangerous as the sinister force that seems to be haunting the palace – and perhaps even Ayleth herself.