Sylvester Lanyon, a doctor, is mourning the early death of his wife. His young daughter Dorothy is living with his father, Matthew, also a widower, in a large country house. While visiting his father, Sylvester takes up with Ella, a childhood friend. While tending a dying friend, Sylvester discovers a secret about him which turns his world upside down. He abruptly decides to move to London to continue his researches there, leaving Ella and his daughter behind. Also moving to London, Ella meets Roderick, another friend of Sylvester’s, and the story continues from there as the lives of the three become bound up together. - Summary by Simon Evers