Grace Arnold was sent to Felstead Hall to give her opinion about some old pictures. She found many things puzzling. Why was Melissa Meredith, who had just moved into the house, so famous? Why was she doomed to "die later"? And who was the unknown woman portrayed in the painting in the attic? How had it got there and what was the story behind it?
Two storylines interweave in this tale of mystery, Victorian life and lost love.