Nestled in the tranquil New England village of S--, a shocking discovery is made a young, beloved minister is found lifeless, ignominiously submerged in a dye vat within a crumbling mill. Almost instantly, whispers of suicide start to spread. But could a man of faith really lose all hope? The young woman he had been secretly engaged to is insistent that it was not a suicide. Tragically, she too meets her demise on the same day as her lover. Now, it falls upon the shoulders of her roommate, Constance Sterling, a young woman devoid of family or prospects, to unravel the truth behind these mysterious deaths. (Summary by Jacquerie)