A novel of the early 1860s about two sisters, Magdalen and Norah Vanstone, who live happily in a comfortable country home. A sudden family shock reveals that, under the law, they are not legitimate, and they lose both their inheritance and their place in society. Magdalen, spirited and determined, resolves to win back what has been taken from them, using disguise and daring schemes. Collins uses the story to criticize unjust laws and to give a vivid, sympathetic portrait of an energetic heroine.