[1] It is about a sixteen-year-old orphan, Portia Quayne, who moves to London to live with her half-brother Thomas and falls in love with Eddie, a friend of her sister-in-law.

"[2] At the beginning of the novel, Portia moves in with Anna and Thomas Quayne after her mother dies.

Portia is a naturally awkward girl, and this aspect of her personality has been intensified by her strange childhood which was one of constant travel, change, and strangers, while at the same time being incredibly isolating.

She keeps a diary detailing the lives of those around her, particularly Anna, trying to understand the key to people she thinks she is missing.

The novel ends with Thomas and Anna sending their maid Matchett to Major Brutt's hotel in order to fetch Portia.

[3][4] The novel was adapted into a 1986 TV serial, starring Patricia Hodge and Miranda Richardson.