A young governess arrives at a remote country estate to care for two orphaned children, only to become convinced that malevolent supernatural entities are haunting them. Tasked with the education and protection of Miles and Flora, the governess finds her objective complicated by her growing suspicion that the children are in contact with former employees who have died. She must navigate the isolation of the estate while questioning her own perception of reality and the children's innocence. The narrative framework utilizes a first-person perspective, often leaving the reader to determine if the threats are external manifestations or internal psychological projections. The story operates under strict logical constraints, where the governess's subjective account serves as the primary lens for the reader.

Discussion often centers on the ambiguity of the governess's sanity versus the existence of actual ghosts. Readers frequently highlight the precision of the prose and the way the author builds dread through suggestion rather than explicit horror. Critics often examine the power dynamics between the governess and her charges, noting how the isolation of the estate amplifies the internal conflict. The work remains a subject of intense academic debate regarding the nature of the haunting and the reliability of the narrator's testimony. This balance of psychological depth and atmospheric tension ensures that the narrative remains a frequent point of reference in discussions of classic gothic literature.