This early novel tells the story of Hester Southcote, a girl who has been raised by a bitter father to require "justice" of others, rather than sympathy or pity or even love. Her father is squire of Cottiswoode in Cambridgeshire; but their way of life is overturned when an unknown, but rightful, heir comes forward. Hester takes on her father's bitterness as they start a new life in Cambridge. Later she marries and believes she has found happiness; however her husband is withholding a secret which will affect her. Many plot twists follow, including Hester's possession of a cursed diamond ring which casts a symbolic shadow over Hester's unhappiness.