The narrator wanted to find more about the life of a mysterious man named Ethan Frome, who went underwent a trauma some twelve years back.
After his marriage with Zeena, he falls in love with his wife's cousin, Mattie Silver. So Zeena becomes suspicious and goes to bed with an emotional turmoil. Later, she forces Mattie to leave the house.
In due course, all the characters in the novel live in a state of disillusionment where they are bound by social stigmas and other societal values.
This novel expresses emotions, hopelessness and sexual undercurrents of the characters. The story was set in England.
