Douglas Guest is an orphan raised in the North of England by his harsh, devout, and unyielding uncle, Gideon Strong. His uncle urges him to marry his cousin and become a clergyman in their little town, but he refuses, steals money intended for his studies, and flees to London.On the train, he encounters Countess Emily de Reuss, who is taken with him. Douglas wants to be a writer in London, but no publishers seem interested in his work. Meanwhile, his uncle has been murdered, and his two cousins, Cicely and Jane, have travelled to London to find the perpetrator.