\tOn Christmas Eve 1856 we see Caleb, the Under Keeper, slip away from duty to visit his new wife and daughter. He surprises his with an Exciseman and, enraged, he pushes his wife aside and pursues, unsuccessfully, the Exciseman out the door and into the dunes. Giving up Caleb returns to his cottage now aflame and, blaming himself for the death of his wife and daughter, returns to the lighthouse where he throws him self off the top deck to his death. \tNext we see Emma, the protagonist, arrive in Donaghadee harbour accompanied by her young son, Charlie. They are conveyed to their new home where Emma is to take up employment as housekeeper to the local Doctor. There they are greeted by the old Housekeeper, Mrs McKee, who soon makes it clear that she still rules the roost. \tMeeting the Doctor he soon makes it clear that he has certain expectation of his pretty new housekeeper. In the mean time Charlie quickly goes off the rails and, eventually, he is suspected of stetting a fire in the Doctor’s stables in which Henry, Mrs McKee’s and the Doctor#s natural son is burnt to death. Mrs McKee is now her mortal enemy. \tCast out Charlie joins a local smuggling gang headed by Mr Kerr. While landing contraband they are ambushed by the Excise and is shot. Rushed to the Doctor’s he is operated on then put to bed where Mrs McKee poisons him. Mr Delacherois and the Doctor then steal the corpse for their experiments but the reanimated Charlie escapes and roams the town looking for living flesh. \tMr Delacherois, the father of the Doctor’s fiancée, falls into debt to Mr Kerr and borrows money from the Doctor but again loses all. The Doctor refuses to advance him any more money and Mr Delacherois seizes a knife and stabs the Doctor before rifling the safe and stealing the money. \tCharlie who has been let back into the house by Emma sees all and, when Mr Delacherois flees kills the Doctor. \tDiscovered the next morning the authorities blame Mr Kerr. Mr Delacherois closes the house and dismisses all the staff, bar Emma whom he allows to remain until after Christmas as caretaker. Shunned by the town and discovering her parents are dead Emma drowns herself in the harbour on Christmas Day. Her last sight is off Caleb and Charlie on top of the lighthouse waiting for her.