Christopher Newman is an American expatriate in Paris; his fortune made, he has moved to the Old World to enjoy his wealth and find a wife. Newman soon falls for a young widow, the aristocratic Claire de Bellegarde, but his brash New World sensibility horrifies her haughty family. Though the family oppose the idea of the couple’s marriage, reversals of fortune cause them to reconsider. When another suitor arrives on the scene all appears lost, until Newman befriends Claire’s younger brother Valentin and finds himself in possession of a dark family secret. As the novel unfolds, James’s unmistakable stylistic grace combines with his less well-known sense of melodramatic romance, resulting in a finale that combines duels, death, betrayal and blackmail.


克里斯多福‧紐曼是移居到巴黎的美國人。他發了大財後，跑到歐洲大陸去享受財富，同時尋覓伴侶。紐曼很快便戀上一位年輕寡婦，她是貴族出身的克萊兒‧貝爾加德，不過，克萊兒高傲的家人都對紐曼那來自新大陸輕率無禮的習氣很反感，因此他們反對這兩人的婚姻，但紐曼的大筆財富卻又讓他們重新考慮。無奈這時竟出現另一位求婚者，倆人戀情似乎都被破壞殆盡，直到紐曼與克萊兒的弟弟凡勒丁成為朋友，發現了黑暗的家族秘密。隨著小說一步步揭露，詹姆斯清晰優雅的文風融合他鮮為人知的強烈情感，讓這個故事走向一個恐嚇、決鬥、背叛與死亡交織的結局。