American heiress Emmaline Nesbitt has always understood that, as the eldest of four daughters, she is obliged to marry.So far, however, no proposals have come her way. Until that is, at a crowded ball, she meets Julius who wastes no time in asking for her hand.Soon Emmaline finds herself on the way to England to live with her husband-to-be, her hopes as high as they have ever been.
However, what greets her on arrival is a strange house, full of odd guests and eccentric servants - a far cry from the glorious home that Julius had described. Indeed, as the days go by, her fiance changes beyond recognition and Emmaline's unhappiness deepens so that she cannot see any future to their relationship. But that is before Julius's past, and the history of his house, make themselves plain to her.