Tilo is not just any ordinary shopkeeper – she is a "Mistress of Spices," someone who possesses magical powers to help her customers in ways beyond cooking. She runs a small shop in San Francisco, where she dispenses exotic spices to a diverse clientele who come seeking remedies for their personal conflicts and yearnings.
Her life takes an unexpected turn when she falls in love with Doug, an American architect, defying the rules of the community of spices that forbids her love affairs with humans. As a result of this forbidden love affair, she loses her mystical powers, and her ability to use spices to heal others. Tilo must choose between her love for Doug and her duty to the spices's code.
The story unfolds as Tilo tries to resist her love for Doug while continuing to help her clients with their emotional and physical suffering. Her clients include a young woman who wants to marry a man her parents disapprove of, an elderly man seeking some peace and comfort in his final days, and a man who wants to win his estranged wife back. Each character represents a different theme that speaks of love, loss, and rebirth.
As Tilo navigates through her inner turmoil, a looming threat in the form of a mysterious man appears, disrupting her customers' peaceful lives. She ultimately must learn to reconcile her responsibilities as a "Mistress of Spices" and the love she feels for Doug. The Mistress of Spices's story is a tale of magic, mystery, love, and courage.