A Beleaguered City Being a Narrative of Certain Recent Events in the City of Semur, in the Department of the Haute Bourgogne. A Story of the Seen and the Unseen

"A Beleaguered City" by Mrs. Oliphant is a novel situated in early 20th-century Semur, France, where Mayor Martin Dupin grapples with his town's unsettling spiritual state. The story dives into themes of faith versus materialism, and the struggle between the visible world and a mysterious, unseen realm, all stirred by supernatural disturbances. Beginning with a seemingly ordinary summer night, an inexplicable darkness blankets the town, sowing unease and mistrust. Dupin observes a shift in the people, noticing a growing obsession with wealth and a decline in traditional morals and religious devotion. These observations foreshadow extraordinary events that will confront the townspeople, compelling them to reckon with their deepest beliefs and the hidden powers shaping their destiny.