Timid Joanna Traill’s every move is dictated by her overbearing sisters. Then she meets Mr. Boas, a man who works to give “fallen” women a chance at a better life. Through Mr. Boas, Joanna has the opportunity to take in as a ward a girl from a troubled background. When she takes Christine under her wing, her lonely, monotonous life starts to change for the better, and she learns to assert herself and live on her own terms, not her sisters’.

As the years pass, Christine gets to know Mr. Bevan, a friend of Mr. Boas’s, and eventually the two fall in love. Joanna advises her that she must tell Mr. Bevan of her past. Joanna also comes to realize that she regards Mr. Boas as more than a friend. How will Mr. Bevan react to Christine’s news? And will Mr. Boas return Joanna’s love? - Summary by Scarbo