David Thryng is the third son of a British peer of the realm. Unwilling to marry into money without love, and unwilling to spill blood on the battlefield, he decides to become a doctor. David travels to Canada, where he studies under Doctor Hoyle. When David becomes ill, Hoyle sends him to recuperate at his cabin, perched high on a promontory in the mountains of North Carolina.When the story begins, David's train is arriving at the tiny mountain crossing...