Magical mayhem is afoot in a new adventure set in the worlds of the nine-lived enchanter Chrestomanci. As many people know already, it's Chrestomanci's job to control the magic in the related worlds. Using magic is always dangerous, and it always has consequences, so even the best-intentioned witch or warlock needs help and guidance from time to time. Not only that, but there are plenty of ordinary people in the worlds without even a whiff of magical ability, and they need someone to make sure that the magic-users don't get their own way all of the time. Even so, in the village around Chrestomanci Castle, all sorts of magical misuse is going on which very few people seem to be aware of! When Cat Chant finds the egg in Gammer Pinhoe's attic, he knows he has to have it. Marianne Pinhoe isn't sure what Gammer will think about that, but she lets him take it anyway. Rumour has it it's an elephant egg, but Cat's convinced it's a dragon's egg. Within the safety of Chrestomanci Castle, the egg eventually hatches -- and at the same time, chaos breaks out in the surrounding village. Can Cat and Marianne get to the root of the problem, and can Cat's new charge help?