Rowan is the protagonist of The Witching Hour and the 13th generation of Mayfairs. This makes her “the witch of all witches” (978). She has the power to heal or kill with her mind. In other words, she has the “gift […] to transmute matter” (942). Her adoptive mother, Ellie, raised her in California and made her sign a legal document saying she would never contact the Mayfairs in New Orleans. Rowan uses her exceptional intelligence to become a successful neurosurgeon in San Francisco; her career in medicine is an attempt to redeem herself for her power to kill. Rowan knows she killed three people: a child, her rapist, and her adoptive father, Graham. The Talamasca has to inform her about the other deaths she caused: Graham’s mistress and a few scientists.

At the beginning of the novel, Rowan lives on her houseboat, the Sweet Christine. She saves Michael when he drowns in the bay, and they begin a romantic relationship in San Francisco. After the death of both her adoptive and biological mothers, Rowan decides to go against Ellie’s wishes, violate the legal contract, and claim the Mayfair legacy in New Orleans.