Lily is the niece of Squire Dale, an embittered old bachelor entrenched in the "Great House" at Allington. His sister-in-law lives at the adjacent "Small House" with her two daughters and the action centres on the relations between the two houses and on the romantic entanglements of the girls.

Utilitarianism propounds the view that the value or rightness of an action rests in how well it promotes the welfare of those affected by it, aiming for 'the greatest happiness of the greatest number'. This book shows the creation and development of a system of ethics that has had an enduring influence on moral philosophy and legislative policy.