In the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War, George Morland becomes master of Morland Place and begins an ambitious programme of improvement. His sister Henrietta marries the scholarly Reverend Fortescue in the hope of leading a useful life, while their cousin Lady Venetia Fleetwood resolves to study medicine after witnessing the suffering created by modern war.
Each discovers that apparent progress may be a mirage. Agricultural depression threatens George’s plans, the medical establishment refuses to accept Venetia as an equal, and Henrietta learns that her respectable marriage conceals a painful reality. The novel examines late Victorian ideals of estate stewardship, professional service and domestic virtue, revealing the social and economic barriers beneath them.
