When the newly arrived and beautiful stranger Juliet Meredith becomes seriously ill in Glaston, talented surgeon Paul Faber, curate Thomas Wingfold, and his wife Helen come to her rescue, but a secret from Juliet's past threatens the blossoming love between doctor and patient.

George MacDonald was a Scottish author, poet and Christian Congregational minister. He became a pioneering figure in the field of modern fantasy literature and the mentor of fellow-writer Lewis Carroll. In addition to his fairy tales, MacDonald wrote several works of Christian theology, including several collections of sermons.