Adopted by a family of bakers, 12-year-old orphan Nancy Crumpet's life is a delightful mix of flour, salt, and love, yet her mind is brimming with questions no one can answer. Where are her birth parents? Why must she keep her mysterious birthmark hidden? And why are all the adults terrified of the fairground?

Faced with an opportunity to enter the Scareground, Nancy and her best friend discover a place of dark magic, where rides come to life and there's a mystery around every corner. When she meets the fair's sinister owner, Skelter, Nancy faces secrets more horrifying than she could ever have imagined.