Sallie’s world seems suddenly knocked off its course: She is a kitchen maid in a mansion so vast, rambling and full of nooks and crannies, that Sallie only knows a fraction of it. In any case, her favourite place is in the library, reading. Because she is gripped by the story of the eternal struggle between the Mist King and the Cat Queen and can’t put it down. However, soon enough, Sallie will discover that the story has far more to do with her than she could have ever imagined. She begins to open doors and to ask questions – and all the time, the mist is creeping inexorably into the house …