| Summary Note |
Raised by her severe parents in a punitive and authoritarian church, Ellen Wells is entirely unprepared for life in the modern world. When things become intolerable at home, she escapes and, striking out on her own, makes a completely new start. Ellen lands a job as a teacher in a girls' school and gradually finds peace in that community and in her solitary life. To begin with, she is painfully shy, but when she meets Gordon, a fellow teacher, she responds with curiosity and, before long, pleasure. Gordon is kind and caring and their friendship slowly turns into a deep and fulfilling love. When she and Gordon marry, her parents decry their union, making her split from them absolute. Three years later, a knock on the door changes everything. Two police officers have come to interrogate Gordon about a shocking crime. In an instant, Ellen's perfect life unravels. |
