A motherless girl finds life very lonely living with only her dour father and two servants in the quiet New England countryside. Lonely, that is, until a neighbor begins to fill her long days and hungry mind with fascinating studies and companionship. These rich days leave an even bigger blank when his parents send him to college and eventually to university in England, determined to keep him away from young Esther. Where can she find the comfort and joy for which she is longing and searching as she grows into womanhood? - Summary by HannahMary