Lydia Tavernor, recently widowed, dreams of taking a lover. Her marriage to Reverend Isaiah Tavernor was one of service and obedience, and she has secretly enjoyed her freedom since his death. She doesn't want to shackle herself to another man in marriage, but sometimes she wonders if she is lonely. Alone together one night, Lydia asks Harry Westcott if he is ever lonely. Harry's answer leads them down a path neither could ever have imagined.