At the Collinwood mansion, Victoria meets with the reclusive matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, while Burke Devlin talks with a private detective at the local Blue Whale tavern.

Elizabeth's brother, Roger Collins, desperately searches for local artist Sam Evans. Meanwhile, Victoria meets Elizabeth's teenage daughter Carolyn and begins to wonder if Collinwood is haunted.

Victoria is interrogated by Roger over her knowledge of Burke Devlin and their encounter at the train station. Later that night, Victoria has an unpleasant first meeting with David Collins

After her first night at Collinwood, Victoria has decided to go back to New York. Victoria explains to Carolyn that she is an orphan and came to Collinsport because she believed that somehow she would find out about her past. Near Widow’s Hill, Victoria meets Sam Evans who tells Victoria about Josette Collins. Victoria finds out from Sam that Elizabeth has not left Collinwood in eighteen years. Sam instructs Victoria to tell Roger that he wants to talk with him. Victoria returns to her room to find that David has helped her “pack” while she was out. Victoria changes her mind and decides to stay at Collinwood with renewed hopes that she will find out something about her past.

Victoria looks for David in the basement of Collinwood. While looking, a stranger enters the room and asks who she is. He accuses her of snooping around. Elizabeth comes down and says it's Matthew Morgan, the caretaker of Collinwood. She asks Victoria why she is in the basement, and when Victoria tells her that she is down there looking for David, Elizabeth tells her David would not come down there. Once she leaves, Elizabeth finds David hiding in the basement. Later, Victoria sees Matthew again, stoking the fireplace. She says she hopes they can one day be friends, and she starts asking him questions. She finds out that Elizabeth fired all of her servents 18 years ago and then hired Matthew, giving him a cottage on the edge of Collinwood grounds. In the basement, Elizabeth gets out a crate of adventure books that had belonged to Roger when he was a boy. David does not want anything associated with his father. Carolyn tells Victoria that she should ask Elizabeth about what happened 18

Sam Evans and Roger discuss Burke Devlin's return. Sam agrees with Roger's fear that Burke is planning revenge against the Collins family for his jail sentence, but refuses to offer any help.

Carolyn's flighty romance with Joe Haskell takes a new turn when she admits that she is in love with him, but refuses an offer of marriage. Victoria investigates Elizabeth's claims about her job offer.

Victoria learns of the tragic legend of Widows Hill, a cliff located close to Collinwood, where many suicides occurred. Meanwhile, Carolyn is intrigued by Burke and decides to learn more.

Roger puts pressure on Elizabeth to send David away to boarding school, a conversation the boy overhears. Burke gives Carolyn false information on the reason for his return.