In 1844, Abigail Wells receives a request from her previously-unknown wealthy distant cousin Nicholas Van Ryn, and she and her husband Ephraim Wells, a devout but poor Connecticut farmer who owns his own land, reluctantly allow one of their daughters, Miranda, the one with wanderlust, to accept the position of companion to Nicholas and his wife Johanna's 8-year-old daughter Katrine at Dragonwyck, the Van Ryn manor in the Hudson Valley. The Wells are reluctant to send Miranda because Nicholas doesn't believe in God, which would be a drastic shock to her; also, Nicholas' tenant farmers are beholden to him and not allowed to work toward purchasing from him any land of his on which they farm. Upon her arrival at the Van Ryn manor, Miranda catches the eye of young physician Dr. Jeff Turner. This does not sit well with Nicholas; not only is Jeff a vocal supporter of tenant-farmer rights, but he also has eyes for Miranda--whose eyes are turned in Nicholas' direction--as the openly odd interactions between Nicholas, Johanna and even Katrine stem from an absence of love. What happens in the manor is affected in part by Nicholas' goal as a father; not achieving that goal might result in adverse consequences, the changing times of land ownership, and long-held secrets at the manor.—Huggo