When 21-year-old Eliza Caine's father dies unexpectedly she impulsively answers an ad for a governess at Gaudlin Hall. But when she arrives at the house she discovers two children living there apparently alone. She finds that her quest for answers is thwarted by the villagers who refuse to speak about the house or the family. Nor will they speak about the mysterious fates of the five previous governesses who came before her in the previous year. She is also rattled by strange occurrences in the house, which start on her very first night when an unseen pair of hands grabs her ankles in bed. As Eliza learns about the family's past she begins to realize just who is haunting the house and that she is in grave danger from this ghost.

This was a good gothic ghost story, but it wasn’t too scary which was great. The story moved right along without any dull or boring parts, which made for quite a page-turner.