"The Carswell Estate covered close to 150 acres of semi-wilderness surrounding unkempt lawns at the center of which was a mansion with limestone walls streaming with ivy, built in the twenties of the previous century." So begins this novel set in a fictional region of the southeastern United States. Rebecca Minot, the personal assistant of the owner, has the high responsibilty of renovating this piece of real estate inside and out. So she places an ad in the local paper for employees, including a groundskeeper.