At the start of The Witching Hour, readers are introduced to Dr. Rowan Mayfair, a talented and accomplished neurosurgeon who lives in San Francisco, California. One day, Dr. Mayfair is alerted that her birth mother, who she had not had contact with for a number of years, had died in New Orleans. She travels to New Orleans hoping to learn more about her and the history of her family.
In New Orleans, she meets a man named Michael, who she falls in love with after she saves him after he drowned. Eventually, Dr. Mayfair realizes that she has the physic ability to not only heal people, but to save their lives.
Eventually, the two decide to return to New Orleans so that Dr. Mayfair can learn the full history, and the secrets, of her family. But Dr. Mayfair, with the help of a scholar named Aaron Lightner, learns the dark history of her family, which is known to some as the "Mayfair Witches."
After a bit of time, Michael is revealed to have Mayfair lineage (he is Dr. Mayfair's cousin). Regardless, Michael and Dr. Mayfair decide to get married and quickly have a child. Being the heir to her mother, Dr. Mayfair assumes control of her family and its dealings but is soon introduced to a man who will turn her life upside down: Lasher.
Lasher is an evil spirit who has haunted the Mayfair family for centuries. Long relegated to a body that was not flesh and bones, it is his most fervent wish to be made flesh again. To achieve this, Lasher sets out to seduce Dr. Mayfair and impregnate her.
Frightened but determined to get rid of Lasher, Dr. Mayfair devises a plan which she thinks will rid her of Lasher forever. But her plan fails, and Lasher finds a way into her fetus and is subsequently born as a human baby. Because of Lasher's powers, the baby very quickly grows into a full-sized man, who Michael tries and fails to kill. Michael nearly dies yet again, so Dr. Mayfair flees to Europe as Lasher's captive out of an abundance of caution for Michael's safety.
