An English aristocrat, Lord Montbarry, abandons his fiance for an enigmatic countess with a dark past, before moving with her and her brother, Baron Rivar who is rumoured to be her lover, and is fond of gambling and alchemy into a decayed Venetian palazzo. An Italian servant disappears, and his wife receives a note containing one thousand pounds.

As the palazzo is transformed into a luxury hotel, all these strands begin to come together, yet strange and macabre events are occurring, and the dead seem unable to rest.

Contains notes on the text, Wilkie Collinss life and works and a select bibliography.