A spoiled orphan gets exactly what she's been wishing for and discovers it's nothing like what she imagined. Earwig's real power isn't magic, it's talking her way through problems with such genuine curiosity that even a witch starts to soften. The movie trusts that watching a kid figure out how to belong somewhere matters more than wrapping up every plot thread.

Earwig has always had things her way. Left on the doorstep of St. Morwald's Home for Children as a baby, she grew up there with everyone wrapped around her finger, and she has no wish to leave. That changes when Bella Yaga and the Mandrake turn up posing as foster parents and take her home with them. Their house is full of invisible rooms, potions and spell books, and Earwig soon finds that Bella Yaga is a real witch who wanted her as an assistant rather than a daughter. She is also given one rule she must never break: do not disturb the Mandrake. Most children would be frightened, but Earwig takes on the challenge, relying on her own cleverness and plenty of help from a talking cat to show the witch who is really in charge. The story is a fantasy film adapted from the novel by Diana Wynne Jones.