A widower and a spinster, Ambrose and his sister Mattie are the last of the Bancrofts. Now they have returned to London, ready to rejoin society. But death is not something one can outrun. Ambrose tries to draw Mattie out of her grief with all the distractions Victorian high society has to offer, hoping that orchestrating her happiness will curate his own. But Mattie can't move past her ghosts, and Ambrose's pushing soon leads to a scandal that has them both fleeing to their country seat in disgrace. But at Linwood Manor, Mattie and Ambrose aren't as alone as they think. Taking advantage of Mattie's desperate need to find freedom, a vanishing room lures Ambrose's sister into an illusory paradise. When Ambrose vows to get his sister back by force if necessary, he finds himself up against an otherworldly power bent on her destruction and Mattie's bitterness turned to hatred. When Mattie commits the ultimate betrayal, Ambrose realizes he never stopped protecting her long enough to learn what she really wanted. When Mattie commits the ultimate betrayal, Ambrose realizes he never stopped protecting her long enough to learn what she really wanted. But before he learns to let her go, Ambrose is broken in body and mind, far beyond his capacity to endure. When the dust settles, will Mattie be lost to him forever? Will Ambrose be the last of the Bancrofts?