First published in 1864, this fifth novel of the Chronicles of Barsetshire series primarily relates the story of Lily Dale, a young woman living in the dower house of the Allington estate with her mother and sister Bell. Although Lily is secretly loved by a junior clerk in a tax office, John Eames, she becomes enamored with Adolphus Crosbie, an ambitious and egocentric man from a more urban environment. When Crosbie's fickle behavior leaves Lily heartbroken, she must decide if she will accept the honest suit of Eames, or if she will opt for a protected, solitary life of spinsterhood. In addition to the struggle of Trollope's most well liked heroine, the author includes a host of other characters who enhance the narrative and its masterful portrayal of the inner lives and complexity of men and women.