When Maud Ruthyn is orphaned, she is sent to live with her Uncle Silas, her father's mysterious brother and a man with a scandalous-- even murderous-- past. There she encounters Madame de la Rougierre, a former governess, who left her father's employ because she was a liar, bully, and spy. Now Maud is the only thing standing between the money she will inherit from her father, and Silas' considerable debt. As the November winds wail in ivied chimneys, Maud's destiny will become all too clear ...