When John Erskine was still a child he had inherited the house and estate of Dalrulzian in Scotland; but he had moved to England at age 13 when his mother remarried. Now twenty-five, he has come home at last - though everything is quite a bit smaller than he remembered it. He thinks fondly of a girl he met two years ago while travelling in France - Edith Lindores, then only sixteen - and wonders if her family ever visit their relation, his neighbour the Earl of Lindores. But little Edith is now Lady Edith, her father having succeeded to the title after several nearer heirs died. And the once-easygoing father has become a tyrant, ambitious for himself and his children - even forcing his eldest daughter Lady Caroline to marry a crude, brutish man because of his enormous wealth. This novel tells John Erskine's story, and also the stories of the Ladies Lindores - Edith, Caroline, and to some extent their mother Lady Lindores. Of course John falls in love with Edith - which is unacceptable to the Earl. And there are some dramatic events, one of which will result in a central character being arrested for murder. There are also other characters and story lines in this fine novel.