Mesa, an Ojibwa woman schooled in the Midewiwan arts, owns the mystically powerful carnival, The Mida. Twenty-one years ago, her husband was killed, and she was forced to leave their baby, Tony, with his grandmother for his protection. Now the carnival has brought Mesa back to 1952 Farmingdale, Iowa. She is confronted by the son who thought she was dead, and the sheriff who believes her and the carnies had something to do with the murders that happened the night the carnival appeared in town. While trying to clear the carnival’s name, Mesa ends up putting Tony under suspicion. Mesa and the carnies work hard to clear everyone before they have to leave at the end of the week. She also has to make the decision whether to leave the carnival for Tony, or leave him behind again as she struggles to protect the carnival against Jiibay. This dark Ojibwa spirit killed her husband many years ago in an attempt to take over the mystically-powerful carnival. Caught up in her problems with her son, Mesa doesn’t realize Jiibay has discovered their whereabouts, and now everyone is in danger, including the child she gave up to protect.