In early Victorian times, young Philip Ashley lives an idyllic life on a grand estate in rural Cornwall owned by his beloved guardian and cousin, Ambrose. When he receives word that Ambrose has suddenly married a distant cousin in Italy, and is now gravely ill, he travels to Italy; only to find his cousin is mysteriously dead and his new wife is missing.
2. Episode 2
After Cousin Rachel's unexpected visit to the Ashley estate, Philip's initial hostility starts to fade, and he becomes increasingly fond of her. He grants her a generous allowance from the estate and urges her to stay permanently.
3. Episode 3
As Rachel settles into life at the Ashley estate, she spends lavishly on refurbishments and plans a costly water garden in a steep gorge. Meanwhile, Philip discovers another letter from Ambrose revealing a second, unsigned will, leaving the whole estate to Rachel - but which also accuses Rachel of poisoning him. Admitting that he loves Rachel, Philip dismisses the poison charge as the ravings of a dying man and makes plans to transfer ownership of the estate to Rachel, believing it is what Ambrose would have wanted.
4. Episode 4
After transferring the ownership of the Ashley estate to Rachel, Philip becomes deathly ill and is unconscious for a week. When he wakes up, he finds that Rachel is spending a lot of time with her Italian friend Signore Rainaldi. He also finds that much progress has been made in building the water garden, including a bridge across the steep gorge. A workman warns Philip that the bridge isn't safe for traffic yet, but Rachel doesn't get the message.
