Annette Chetwynd is the apple of her father’s eye and a source of endless envy for her mother. A sickly creature with a propensity for fainting spells, she is conducted everywhere by her attendant, Miss Lucy Haawk. She is often bullied by her proper mother who has no fondness for her and is obsessed with the prospect of marrying her off to the wealthiest suitor as soon as possible. Even though her father is away often, she is every inch his daughter and she hungers for intelligent conversation.