Rachel, a spirited young girl, has to choose between Francis Breton, her difficult cousin who has been disowned by the family, and Roddy Seddon, a conventional and rather boring but wealthy young man.

Hjalmar Johanson is a boyish unworldly Swedish body builder who comes to Walpole’s fictional cathedral town of Polchester. He has a vision of transforming the town and its populace to a healthier and more beautiful state.