The Minister's Wife

"The Minister's Wife" by Mrs. Oliphant unfolds in the Scottish countryside during the late 1800s, centering around the Diarmid sisters, Margaret and Isabel, as they grapple with familial bonds and personal longings within their close-knit community. Following their father's death, the sisters negotiate life with their stepmother amid societal pressures and their relationships with their community. Margaret contends with declining health, while Isabel begins a romance with a young Englishman named Horace Stapylton, causing some concern because he is not part of their community. Supernatural healings influence their town and adds conflict; Margaret strives to preserve her dignity as challenges to both her beliefs and connections to those around her intensify.