Writer Kat and paranormally-gifted Burmese cat O'Leary find themselves in tiny Burnt Siding, Minnesota, after Kat's mother cons her into doing a favor for a relative who's in the hospital. Kat assents, sure that there won't be any spooks or fairies involved in Uncle Mac's farmhouse.

Turns out Uncle Mac kept some secrets on his little patch of land. When a hovering Ghost Light indicates the presence of buried treasure on his lane, Kat can't resist digging it up, and is shocked to find a bottle labeled "Danger, bottle has genie inside." When she drops it, the cork pops out, and so does an honest-to-Pete genie, clad in pouffy hat, bolero and filmy pants, just like in the fairy tales Kat read as a child.

Kat declines the genie's traditional offer of three wishes, and a loophole unrecorded in storybooks means she must now complete three tasks for him . . . or suffer some horrible punishment. Will her wits, her wand, and O'Leary protect her as as she tries to perform the tasks without revealing that she can speak cat language and that she is a witch-in-training?

Kat and O'Leary have dealt with numerous paranormal entities including a wicked fairy, murderous ghosts, and even a lunatic hot dog vendor, but they've never encountered a good/bad creature like the genie. Will he help or hinder their battle with the creepy ex-con who's also seeking Uncle Mac's treasure?