The novel tells of the touching love between the blind girl Lucilla Finch and one of the twin brothers, Oscar Dubour, who undergoes a harsh test because of the schemes of the second brother, Nugent—who also falls in love with Lucilla and tries to pass himself off as Oscar.
Young Lucilla Finch became blind in early childhood, so people call her “poor girl.” In reality, she is quite well-off and doesn’t suffer too much from her blindness. A real problem appears only when Lucilla falls in love with a young man who has a twin brother. How many misunderstandings and sorrows could have been avoided if she could see! But even if medicine helps the girl overcome blindness, it won’t bring happiness. To be happy, Lucilla needs to regain her sight differently—by learning to see the truth.
This is the plot of an instructive and witty novel written by the classic of English literature Wilkie Collins (1824—1889).