The events of the past are brought to life in Gorse Cottage when, after twenty years abroad, Mrs Bell's daughter Sylvia returns to visit her mother and spinster sister, Mavis. The beautiful Sylvia brings with her a daughter whose plainness arouses the same enmity in old Mrs Bell that has led her to use and mistreat Mavis for so long. Rose, however, shows spirit and humour in her dealings with her grandmother. The atmosphere of spite deepens into something more when Mrs Bell is frightened almost to death. The only suspects are the members of her own family. Was murder the intention? Will it be finally accomplished?