Georgina Ferrars comes to herself in Tregannon House—a private infirmary in a quiet remote corner of England—remembering nothing of what happened to her during the last three weeks. The head doctor, Dr. Maynard Streaker, claims that the girl arrived at the infirmary the day before under the name Lucy Ashton (the tragic heroine of Walter Scott’s “The Bride of Lammermoor”) and that she lost her memory as a result of an attack.
Georgina insists that something is wrong and that they admitted her by mistake—but in response to a telegram sent to London by her uncle, the answer arrives: “Georgina Ferrars is here. Your patient is an impostor.” In an instant, the volunteer patient turns into a prisoner.
But who could have taken her place in her uncle’s home? And where did her two most precious possessions disappear: the dragonfly-shaped brooch left from her mother, and the escritoire with a diary—the only source of information about the missing weeks?