The Witches

Gwen Mayfield returns from Africa after a nervous breakdown and is hired to teach at a remote village school run by Reverend Bax in Heddaby. The move marks a fresh start, but the village's quiet hides deeper tensions. Her arrival sets the stage for the unfolding community mystery.

Gwen discovers that Bax is not a genuine minister and wears a clerical collar only for security. She also finds the village church in ruins, hinting at hidden forces at work in Heddaby. The revelations shake her confidence in her new surroundings.

Gwen forms a rapport with Bax's sister, a respected journalist, gaining an ally within the Bax household. The friendship provides her with a broader view of the village's power dynamics. It also gives Gwen a trusted confidant as strange events begin to occur.

The romance between pupils Ronnie Dowsett and Linda Rigg becomes a focal point in the village, but adults fiercely oppose it. Gwen cannot fully understand the hostility, suggesting there are hidden beliefs at work in Heddaby. Their relationship creates a growing tension within the community.

Bax proposes Ronnie attend a prep school outside the village, but Ronnie's father resists. Gwen volunteers to tutor Ronnie at home, hoping to keep him close and safe. The tutoring arrangement draws Gwen further into the boy's world and the village's unspoken rules.

Ronnie gives Linda a male doll as a companion for their budding relationship. The next day, Ronnie falls into a coma, and Gwen discovers the doll has pins through it and its head is missing. The disturbing find suggests someone is dabbling in witchcraft.

Stephanie, Bax's sister, invites Gwen to co-author an article about witchcraft in contemporary England, impressed by Gwen's knowledge of African magical practices. Gwen sees this as an opportunity to explore the village's occult undercurrents further. The collaboration deepens Stephanie's interest in Gwen's work.

Ronnie's mother visits Granny Rigg to secure Ronnie's welfare, and Ronnie is soon taken to stay with relatives in Wales. Ronnie's father confronts Granny Rigg over the matter and is later found drowned in a village pond, heightening the village's mysteries and fears.

Gwen begins to think the witch rumors might be real and suspects the schemes to keep Ronnie away from Linda could lead to a sacrifice. She volunteers to testify at Ronnie's father's inquest, stepping into a dangerous public spotlight. The idea of witchcraft shifts from rumor to potential danger in the village.

An incident involving Stephanie's dogs leaves Gwen injured and she is taken to Bax's home for treatment by the local doctor. During the night she encounters an African totem and suffers another nervous breakdown, deepening the sense that dark forces surround the Bax household. The event bonds her further to the dangers she senses.

Months later, Gwen is recovering in a nursing home with memory gaps about Africa. A visiting little girl's doll triggers the return of her memories, prompting her to escape the facility and hitchhike back to Heddaby, where she is welcomed again by the Bax family. The homecoming re-ignites her investigation into the village's secrets.

A village whisper claims Linda, thought to be away on holiday, has actually been taken by witches. Gwen senses that a coven is gathering, and she moves toward the ruined church where the group is rumored to convene.

A coven led by Stephanie is exposed gathering at the church, and Stephanie reveals a life-extending ritual that requires a pure maiden and a clean sacred place. She makes clear her intention to initiate Gwen into their ranks.

During the Lammastide ceremony, Linda appears in a trance and is unable to help herself. Gwen intervenes by cutting herself and smearing blood on Stephanie's robe, defiling it. Stephanie collapses and dies from convulsions as the ritual's power turns against her.

Weeks later, Heddaby returns to a semblance of normalcy. Gwen decides to stay and continue teaching at Bax's school, choosing to make the village her home despite its lingering shadows. The community slowly rebuilds around her.