The narrative follows a family at the Leighton Homestead: Roy, the responsible elder brother nursing poor health, his indulgent but reckless half-brother, and their mother, whose remarriage affected family fortunes. A young woman, Edna, enters the household under precarious circumstances and navigates relatives' expectations, guardians, and social trials. The plot traces courtships, misunderstandings, accidents, debts, illness, and bereavements, while friendships and secret attachments complicate engagements. Scenes shift between country houses, parties, and domestic rooms as characters confront moral choices, make sacrifices, and reconcile. The story concludes with restorations of order through marriages and reconciliations after loss and crisis.