Done in oil on canvas, the painting depicts a young Spanish girl waiting the return of her lover from war.

[1][2] The painting portrays a young Spanish woman, "Sweet Inez", waiting for her lover Isidore to return from war.

The nature of her daydreaming is reflected in her face and body language; her emotions range shift between excitement, yearning, hope and fear as she waits for her lover to make an appearance.

Though she is the clear focus of the painting, she is dwarfed by the mountains to her back, which add to the gravity of the scene and emulate the sense of distance between the two lovers.

Allston also paid close attention to the foreground of the painting, where he rendered detailed depictions of soil and plants.