Maisie Summerton has been a living doormat her entire life. Her bullies give her hell. The teachers take advantage of her kindness. And her family is too preoccupied with their own problems to notice her struggles. Her friends seem to be the only ones who understand her, and push her to take up for herself. But being brave isn't Maisie's strong suite, and she wonders if she could ever change. One day, her estranged grandfather dies, leaving her family with a mysterious box, which supposedly holds a cursed object inside. Maisie grew up hearing the scary stories about it,but she would have never believed them to be true. But she still feels relieved when her parents choose to dump it in a nearby river. So, it was a surprise when the box reappeared in front of her younger sister, Kara. But Maisie was more shocked to find that Kara opened it. Forced to make a rash decision to save her sister, Maisie's life is turned upside down when she becomes the host of the curse. Forced to wield a terrible power, she must meet the atrocious demands of the curse and deal with a pestering spirit named, Crow. As she begins fulfilling her host duties, Maisie realizes that while awful, her power can save people... a lot of people. Now seeing the curse as a blessing, she learns to embrace her new role. Growing confident in her abilities, she takes on the alias "Misery" and vows to create a safer world. But many obstacles begin to block her efforts, as there are others like her who seek the power she holds. What's worse, Crow cautions her that a hero, bred to kill curses (and their hosts), will soon appear. Faced with numerous challenges, all while trying to juggle her normal life, Maisie begins to question if blessings really can be born from curses.