The secretarial position on remote Penrose Island was the answer to Nicola Wentworth's prayer. But as she left behind all that was familiar to venture into the unknown, she felt strangely apprehensive. And her apprehension only increased when her arrival at the castle-like Penrose House coincided with the coming of the Black Wind, an event, so the local people said, that presaged disaster. Strange looks, cold welcomes, and most of all, the stern, unyielding, contemptuous manner of her employer, writer-historian Justin Penrose, seemed to conspire to send her home again. But Nicola was determined to stay, even after learning the horrifying fate of the previous secretary, a young lady to whom Nicola bore an uncanny resemblance. Then the 'accidents' began. Nicola had unwittingly stirred up secrets better left hidden. And the Black Wind was blowing once more, about to claim yet another innocent victim.