Mystery surrounds Maud Ruthyn in this quintessential Gothic Novel. Her melancholy father forbids her to ask or inquire anything concerning his misfortunate brother - Silas. From what she can gather, Silas was once a handsome, ambitious young man, but in his later years, he shrank into obscurity. Why? And why is Maud's governess, Madame de la Rougerre, so curious about her father's will? Why is she so cruel? And how will Maude ever find answers from the enigmatic characters that surround her in the spectral castle of Bartram-Hough?