This is a remarkably tender story of a wealthy aristocratic young man Ernest Maltravers, who meets, becomes a guardian for and falls in love with a poor innocent and uneducated young beautiful girl Alice. Her father happens to be a very bad apple from whom she flees, after he tries to rob and murder Maltravers, who stops at their cottage when he is lost. Alice warns Ernest of his peril and he escapes. Her father beats her and she runs away and finds Ernest and lives with him. He cares for her and hires a tutor for her and falls in love with her. She does not know his name, and he has to leave for a while since his father is dying. During the time Ernest is gone her father and a crony rob houses and rob Ernest's house and kidnaps ALice. Ernest returns and is broken hearted to find her gone without a trace. The books then tell of the next 18 years from then as they go through life and try to find each other again. Neither one ever finds a love that they shared with anyone else.
