Richard Redfield nurses an unrequited crush on the fiancée of community pillar Henry Moreland. When Moreland is found stabbed to death, suspicion inevitably falls on Richard. Eager to clear his name, he seeks the assistance of renowned detective Burton, who claims that he and his young daughter, Lenore, possess extraordinary powers of clairvoyance. This detective novel from 1866 deftly juggles the mundane and the supernatural.