As Stephen Stratton sat by the body of his recently departed father, he longed with his whole being that his father had left him some thought, some idea of the philosophies and beliefs that had motivated him during his life. This longing soon turns into determination not to let history repeat itself in the next generation. The result is a long and deeply personal letter to his son, for reading not in his boyhood but when he too becomes a man. For when he becomes a man, his son might one day understand the great passion he shared with the aristocratic Lady Mary - a woman separated from him by class and money. The Passionate Friends is a great love story - of the love between father and son and between man and woman.