'There, as if it had that moment sprung out of the earth or dropped from the heaven - stood the figure of a solitary Woman, dressed from head to foot in white garments.'

Walter Hartright's contemplations on the lonely, moonlit road are rudely broken by the nameless and distressed woman in white. The encounter is to change his life, for she is at the centre of villainous machinations which are profoundly to affect him - and those he loves.

Through carefully constructed characterization, intricate plotting and masterly skill in concealing and revealing secrets, Wilkie Collins has created one of the greatest mystery thrillers in the English language.