Hilton Fernbrook, part-Maori and orphaned heir of Colonel Fernbrook returns from five years abroad to his ancestral home and wealth. His fiancee Lady Blanche Trevor feels he has changed as do the old Maori servants who raised him but his rich hospitality convinces NZ society. He is, in reality, an expert mesmerist and an escaped convict who uses music and the power of his will to overcome the mind of his beautiful Maori ward Te Coro and use her as his visionary oracle. Other characters include the poor but latterly successful writer Alton Lyndhurst; Ralph Warne the banker's son who promoted Alton's work; Blanche's father, a respectable MP.
