At Elmhurst, a wealthy but ailing Aunt Jane Merrick turns a summer visit into a test of character, stirring up three very different nieces and their families. Beth De Graf enters a money-strained household where her parents dream of inheritance, Louise Merrick arrives with polished ambition and a sharp eye on marriage and fortune, and Patsy Doyle brings wit, pride, and a stubborn refusal to flatter for gain. As Jane watches from her invalid chair, she weighs each girl's worth against the old family tensions and hidden claims surrounding her half-million-dollar estate. Around her, Lawyer Watson, blunt John Merrick, and the servants all sense the shifting balance of power. Beth's steadiness, Louise's strategy, and Patsy's independence create a lively contest of loyalty, social maneuvering, and comic rivalry. Amid the inheritance intrigue, the household's most troubled presence is Kenneth Forbes, a fearful, withdrawn boy who finds rare comfort in John's chess games. While Louise and Beth unsettle him, Patsy begins to see beyond the family politics and toward the lonely child beneath them. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.