Amateur biographer Margaret Lea receives a letter from reclusive author Vida Winter, summoning her to write Vidas life story. Up to this point, Vida has never given a true account of her life, toying with interviewers by inventing lutlandish life histories of herself. In her old age, she at last wants to tell the truth a bout her extraordinary life. Maragret is captivated by Vidas strange tale of the mysterious March family. But as a biographer she deals in fact not fiction, and she doesnt entirely trust Vidas account. As Margaret pieces together the story on her own, what she discovers is a chilling and transforming experience.