A historical-romance narrative combines anecdote, local legend, and framed documents to dramatize disturbances at a royal manor during the upheaval after the Civil War, when officials charged with stripping the palace endure a series of eerie, mischievous events. The plot balances comic episodes and suspenseful scenes, following investigations, popular reactions, and schemes among various visitors and retainers. Through shifting perspectives and descriptive tableaux the work examines loyalty, superstition, and the social tensions that accompany political change.