Traversing through layers of past and present, 'The Uses of Enchantment' delves into the mysterious disappearance and return of Mary Veal, a sixteen-year-old girl from a Massachusetts prep school. Spanning over years, the tale threads together narratives of Mary, her psychologist, and her family as they grapple with questions of her supposed abduction. With a narrative echoing a 17th-century witch hunt tale, Mary's psychologist seeks fame through her story, while Mary's own life becomes a web of complexities, demanding she unravel truths that stretch back to her adolescence and to her mother's hidden intents. As reality blurs with speculation, Mary's quest for understanding forces her to confront the haunting power of memory, identity, and sexuality.