Eben Cabot s future seemed assured when his mother, on her deathbed, secured her husband Ephraim s word that he would leave his fortune to her son. Ephraim gave his word, but the promise came at a price. Two sons from a previous marriage were cut out, making life in the Cabot household miserable while his dispossessed progeny hoped for a change of heart. But, when Ephraim brings home a new wife, Abbie, any plans Eben and his stepbrothers might have had for a carefree future grow dim. The brothers decide to depart for greener pastures; Eben s choice is to stay and fight for what is his. Abbie, however, only entered into the marriage looking to secure a livelihood of her own, and there is no room for Eben in her financial planning. Never loving Ephraim, she cynically begins an affair with Eben to undercut his opposition...and the two enemies find themselves in love. Soon after, she bears Eben s child. To prove she would never love anyone more than Eben, she hatches a plan leading to a tragic conclusion, worthy only of the ancient Greeks.