Zero no Tsukaima follows the adventures of the protagonists Louise and her familiar Saito. Louise is a second year student at the Tristain Academy of Magic. In this world, those who can use magic are either mages or nobles. Louise is terrible at magic, and can never use it the way she wants to. She is dubbed the nickname \"Louise the Zero\" by her classmates, due to her success rate of casting spells of being almost always zero. Early in the school year, the second year students summon their familiars; this is considered a special ritual where a mage summons their eternal protector and partner, which usually is some sort of magical creature.