The town of Eriwald has a legend of the witch that lives in the gingerbread house. She cooks disobedient children in a stew and serves them to the next ones. Alvina has grown up in fear of the woods. Her parents told her chilling stories of the witch in the woods. That was before they started working at the university in the town over. She worked so hard in school so she could one day go there and see them every day unlike she does now. But when the witch comes for her all hopes of that fades.