Flora Fyrdraaca, a Girl of Spirit, is approaching her 14th birthday when she'll celebrate her Catorcena, coming-of-age party that she has certain tasks she needs to complete before then or her Mother, the General will give her the Look that has reduced colonels to tears. But it also means that next semester she'll be old enough to go to the Barracks and follow her mother into the military, and she doesn't want to, but hasn't mustered the courage to tell her mother that. On top of that the family home which has 11 thousand rooms that move around randomly, due in part to the fact that her mother has banished the family "Butler", a magical creature bound to the family for centuries. Flora finds Valefor, the banished butler and he helps her with some of her tasks, but seems to have some ulterior motives.

She also has her occasionally mad father, Poppy to deal with, a mass of exuberant dogs, a fashion plate of a best (boy) friend, Pirates (well, one anyway!), murderous bird creatures. Thank goodness, Flora has some magic skills of her own to help her along, even if they are occasionally undependable