As a child, Carolyn Dawson had love playing on Greycliff, an island off the Cornish coast owned by the rich and powerful Brandon family. Several years later she returned to the island-and Greycliff Manor-as the bride of romantic, mysterious Grey Brandon, heir to the estate. Before long, however, her bliss turns to uneasiness as she realizes that she is an unwelcome intruder to the other residents of Greycliff: Helen, Grey's coldly contemptuous aunt; Evan, his taciturn, broodingly attractive brother; and Burke, the stolid, intimidating servant who seems to dominate rather than serve the household. Even more disturbing, she finds Grey himself increasingly preoccupied and distant. One night Carolyn is awakened by strange, unaccountable cries of anguish emanating from a basement room. But they are the sobs of a heartbroken child, yet there are no children in the house. Neither then nor all on subsequent nights will anyone explain the cries-or even acknowledge them. Who and what is in the room at the bottom of the stairs? As the mystery deepens, Carolyn grows more and more determined to unravel it. But she soon finds that her efforts are placing her marriage in jeopardy and her life in peril. As she struggles to save both, the pieces of the puzzle come terrifyingly together in a shattering climax.