George Morland and Morland Place

George Morland, newly master of Morland Place, embarks on a grand improvement and expansion of the estate.

Henrietta and Her Marriage

His sister Henrietta, eager to be both good and useful, marries the scholarly rector, Mr Fortescue.

Lady Venetia Fleetwood in London

And in London, their cousin Lady Venetia Fleetwood, moved by the medical horrors of the Franco-Prussian war, sets out to become a doctor.

Challenges and Hard Realities

But the agricultural slump threatens Morland Place with ruin; the medical world rejects Venetia with contempt; and Mr Fortescue proves to be not what he seems.

The Morlands have to come to terms with hard reality, and find their happiness in other, unexpected places.