Tizzie's unpredictable lifestyle with her feckless mother has brought her to Roven Mere, a mysterious, rambling, isolated, lonely house.

She and her mother are expecting to be greeted by Lord Rupert and his daughter, Greta (whom Tizzie thinks will be a longed-for friend).

But when they arrive only the staff are in residence.

Tizzie presses the reclusive Finnigan for clues as to Greta's whereabouts and soon discovers that Roven Mere's history is steeped in intrigue. And as the truth emerges, Tizzie discovers the chilling truth about why she has been brought to the house.

This is a totally up-to-the-minute story, in the spirit of the highly-acclaimed CATCALL.

However, like many of Linda Newbery's acclaimed novels, it reaches into the past to complete the patchwork of her richly-drawn characters' lives.