The novel opens in the fall with Lucy Snowe, the protagonist, narrating in the first person. She is staying with her widowed godmother at Bretton, a place she has fond memories of visiting as a child. The widow brought Lucy to her home as she detected impending distress in Lucy’s family that she felt the child should not be around. The home has been in the family for generations. Mrs. Bretton became a widow at a young age when her husband Dr. Bretton died. She has one son, John Graham Bretton. Mrs. Bretton is a lovely woman and her son is handsome. Lucy finds her time with the widow peaceful.

A mysterious letter arrives to announce a visitor, and Lucy finds that her room has been changed to accommodate a small child. The little girl who is coming to stay with Mrs. Bretton is the daughter of a friend of the late Dr. Bretton, a Mr. Home, and will be Lucy’s companion. The girl’s mother died from illness after abandoning her family, and the girl’s father cannot care for her in his grief and is taking a trip to recover.

The little girl, called Paulina Mary or “Polly,” arrives during a stormy night with her nurse, Harriet.