After witch Bridget Bishop is hanged in Salem in 1692, her power is passed down to generations of the Bishop family until it reaches Gilded Age New York. Here Harriet Bishop, her cousin Frances Allington, and Frances's stepdaughter Annis Allington use the power in their role as witches. However, one part of the Bishop family uses magic to heal and help women in need; the other uses dark magic, or maleficia, to grasp power and wealth. When Frances tries to use maleficia to force Annis into a marriage with an English duke, Harriet and Annis fight back against Frances's dark plans. The two magical families go to battle against each other, and Annis will have to use her power to save herself and resist the lure of the maleficia.