Will Poppy loves to write - he thinks there's something magical about it. But when his mom dies, Will finds himself stuck with his aunt, unable to write and handed a mysterious cloth with the words "The Griffin of Darkwood" on it. When his aunt decides to move, Will is excited. But after hearing stories about a curse, and an introduction to evil servants, Will's sense of dread rises. What is the curse and what does it have to do with the disappearance of a young girl & the Griffin of Darkwood?