Miss Marietta Warrington is the backbone of her family, now that her endearing but reckless widowed father has gambled away their family fortune. The family rents the dower house of an abandoned estate, Lanterns, and scrambles to save money, while Marietta and her sister hope to make advantageous matches in order to help support them.

One afternoon while playing near the mansion, Marietta's brother discovers a mysterious and attractive stranger called Diccon living among the ruins. Though neighborhood rumor and Diccon's own evasions suggest he's a smuggler, Marietta cannot help but glimpse hints of his gentlemanly honor peeking out from under his smuggler's facade. Such discoveries convince her that Diccon can't be telling the truth about his identity, and only intrigue her more.