Plain Tales from the Hills

In the misty valleys of the northern hills, a young woman named Lispeth grows up at the edge of two worlds. The daughter of a hill farmer, she is taken in by the missionary household after a cholera outbreak claims her parents, and she absorbs the rhythms of both her native culture and the Christian teachings of the chaplain’s family. Tall, pale, and strikingly beautiful, she becomes a quiet presence in the mission house, learning the Bible, helping with the children, and dreaming of a life beyond the stone walls.

The arrival of a wounded English traveler on a remote road sets her heart racing. Lispeth, convinced that love can bridge the gap between her hill heritage and the colonial world, insists on nursing him back to health with the hope of marriage. Her determination clashes with the chaplain’s wife, who sees the match as an unacceptable breach of social order.