Amy, a young Englishwoman who has lived in the States since she was twelve in a family of distant relatives of her deceased parents, returns to England to live with her sick uncle. The uncle lives in a gloomy castle on the large ancient estate of Wydale Hall, which has fallen into disrepair and is in urgent need of restoration, which inevitably entails investing huge amounts of money that he does not have. To save Wydale Hall, he decides to marry Amy, his only heir, to his wealthy widower neighbor Richard Boden. Amy accidentally learns about her uncle's plan and already hates Boden in advance... The novel, which has at least two intertwining storylines and is full of secrets and mysteries related to the past of its heroes, is read with exciting interest.