A short novel written as the journal of a country pastor in the Swiss mountains. He takes in a neglected blind girl, names her Gertrude and patiently teaches her to speak and understand the world. His kindness seems pure, but as she grows, his feelings and his family's worries complicate the household. The book looks at how good intentions, religious conviction and self-deception can mix. Its simple, clear style makes a quietly disturbing study of a man who sees only what he wants to see.