Miranda grew up among the shelves of her eccentric Uncle Billy's bookstore, solving the riddles he created for her. But when the girl turned twelve, her uncle quarreled with her mother and disappeared from their lives forever. The next time she hears from him is sixteen years later: Billy has died and left her the Books of Prospero, which are on the verge of bankruptcy. After Miranda returns to Los Angeles and enters the store as its owner, she begins to find clues: between the pages of novels, in the locked drawers of an uncle's apartment, and even in the very name of the store. Miranda decides to save the Books of Prospero and find the answer to the last riddle Billy left her. Soon the girl meets people from his past, and their stories help shed light on the secret of their family.