Lord Ralph Didsbury is obliged to take shelter from a storm but the house he finds appears unoccupied. Lady Winterton and her granddaughters arrive also seeking respite from the weather. Then two further travel weary gentlemen join the party and still there is no sign of the owner. Persephone, known as Seph, becomes the temporary housekeeper leaving her sister Aphrodite, known as Dits, to take care of their ailing grandmother. Why is the owner hiding in his apartment? Are the young gentlemen who they purport to be? Which of the Winterton sisters is Ralph going to become betrothed to?