Charles Augustus Fenton, the loved and cherished child of Charles Senior and Elizabeth, is born at Fenton Manor into wealth and assured future prosperity. His protected and indulged childhood, apart from his having to endure a frightening bout of typhoid fever, could only be described as charmed.

At home, the servants of Fenton Manor are deferential towards their employers, but in the outside world, the Chartists are rebelling against the vast inequities of the early Victorian class system. Charles' interest in girls flares and he undergoes a torrid sexual awakening, with huge repercussions. A shocking event interrupts the calm, the consequences of which not even Charles' powerful and protective father can halt.

Whiting has crafted an intriguing and, at times, brutal tale for young adult readers.