Mute and low-born, Nina Bates is despised by her mother-in-law and ignored by her husband, Earl Casper Grantham, who openly favors his longtime love, Regina. Though Nina secretly loves Casper deeply, he treats her with coldness and seeks her only in bed, certain she will never leave. But after discovering she is pregnant with a child no one will welcome, Nina finally asks for a divorce—only for Casper to react with unexpected fury.
