Meg Randall and her sister have been trapped by a storm at Seacliffe, a huge, glowering stone house Carolyn calls "something Poe thought up." Seacliffe comes complete with the traditional domineering hero, sinister servant, semi-crazy mother, even a mysterious dark night rider and midnight piano music. As the days pass and the storm does not, it becomes clear that secrets roil under the already unnerving surface of life at Seacliffe. For one thing, what is so bad about the cellar, which they are ordered to stay away from? To make matters worse, Meg is fighting feelings for Jerome Payne-and Carolyn isn't. Meg is determined not to come between her sister and any man, but is drawn despite her best intentions to the nighttime Jerome, hunched over his piano, moody and unpredictable, but sometimes allowing her glimpses of his inner turmoil. Among other things, it turns out the family is on the verge of losing Seacliffe. As the situation boils to a head, the sisters learn that the cellar mystery is more shocking than they could have imagined. What other secrets does this sinister family keep? Which of Meg's own painful secrets will be dredged from her if she has to stay any longer?