Constance Bledlow is a beautiful monied 20 year old with the world at her feet. She arrives in Oxford to spend a few months with her impoverished uncle, a University reader, and his family. She conquers Oxford society and sets many hearts aflame, among them that of Douglas Falloden, a conceited aristocrat at the university. However, his assumption that she will fall at his feet comes to nothing. Later, some ragging by ‘bloods’, led by Falloden, of a Polish musician at his college (Radowitz) leads to a bad injury. The book, set in Oxford, follows the aftermath of the incident and the way the lives of the three surprisingly intertwine.