Sage lives out west in the town of Goldview, and her family is cursed. Years ago, her mother and her best friend (the mother of Sage's nemesis, Priscilla) got caught in a storm with pink lightning, and ever since, they've had to deal with the Contrarium curse, where if something goes right for one woman, it goes wrong for the other. Sage's family has gotten the worst of it, and her father is in jail for attempting to rob the bank owned by Priscilla's family. Her mother is struggling, and Sage is bitter. Her best friend, Bailee, helps her a lot, and believes in the curse. When the girls happen into a new shop run by the quirky Minerva, Sage gets a candle for her birthday that is supposed to grant wishes. She accidentally wishes that her mother had remembered to pay the electric bill, and the lights come on. She eventually wishes that the curse be reversed, and Priscilla starts having bad luck. Sage feels a need to help that along, though, and brings crickets to school and puts them in Priscilla's gym locker, which causes a lot of problems. She finally consults Mrs. Rimmells, who taught her mother as well, and tries to work out a way to stop the curse once and for all. Is it too late?