The story begins with a storm outside an old house and stormy scenes inside between the house’s occupants. It details the eventful life of Zoe Blount, including her involvement in a mystery and her place in a complicated family history. It also follows the course of her romantic attachment and sympathetically portrays her suffering as a result of sexual double standards. The characters’ experiences, particularly within marriage, depict changing ideas of gender roles and relationships in the beginning years of the twentieth century.

Hugh Paull's training in a London hospital is nearly complete, and he will soon be qualified as a doctor. But what fate is in store for him? What destiny links him to the family of one of his patients? And how will he meet the strange events ahead?