In the estate of Klumber Hall there are new tenants - the family of General Heatherstone The strange behavior of the head of the family soon attracts the attention of the whole district. The general's nerves are stretched to the limit, he is clearly afraid of something . A high wall built around the estate, a light that lights up every night in all the rooms of Clumber Hall, General Heatherstone's demonstrative unwillingness to communicate with his neighbors - all this excites the curiosity of John Fothergill West, who lives nearby. In addition, as it turned out, the general has a charming daughter, which means that the young man has another reason to reveal at all costs the sinister secret enveloping Clumber Hall.