Since her parents' mysterious deaths many years ago, scientist Cora Sparks has spent her days in the safety of her university lab or at her grandmother Etta's dress shop. Tucked away on a winding Cambridge street, Etta's charming tiny store appears quite ordinary to passersby, but the colourfully vibrant racks of beaded silks, delicate laces, and jewel-toned velvets hold bewitching secrets.