A mysterious young widow arrives at Wildfell Hall, an Elizabethan mansion which has been empty for many years, with her young son and servant. She lives there in strict seclusion under the assumed name Helen Graham and soon finds herself the victim of local slander. Refusing to believe anything scandalous about her, Gilbert Markham befriends Helen, discovers her past and falls in love with here.

Anne Brontë (1820-1849) was an English novelist and poet, the youngest member of the Brontë literary family. She published a volume of poetry with her sisters and two novels. Agnes Grey is based upon her experiences as a governess, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is considered to be one of the first sustained feminist novels. She wrote under the masculine pen name of Acton Bell.