Miss Thomasina Wragg begins the narration of her tortured existence in the manor house of the wealthy Lord and Lady Usher. "Tommy" Wragg is hte luckiest of young girls, for she is adopted by her master and mistress and prepared for a life among the English aristocracy. But before she can be placed in one of the country's finest finishing schools for girls, she must be ridded of her youthful spunk and spirit. To do this, the Ushers engage the services of Mr. Pelham, a demanding tutor who bends the character of his charge to his demanding will. Through Thomasina Wragg's reminiscences, P.N. Dedeaux has created a most readable and striking document of the pleasures of pain and the pain of pleasure.