Summary:
Walter Hartright, a young drawing teacher in London, needs a job and a change of scenery. One evening, he visits his mother and sister, where he meets his friend, Professor Pesca. Pesca, who is grateful to Walter for saving his life, tells him about a job teaching art to two young ladies at Limmeridge House in Cumberland. Although Walter feels a bit uneasy about the job, he decides to take it.
On his last night in London, Walter walks home across Hampstead Heath after saying goodbye to his mother. On the way, he meets a mysterious woman dressed entirely in white. She asks him for directions to London and walks with him. During their conversation, she mentions knowing Limmeridge House and speaks fondly of Mrs. Fairlie, the late lady of the house. Walter helps her find a cab when they reach the city, but just as she leaves, a man in another carriage asks a policeman if he has seen a woman in white who has escaped from an asylum.
Walter arrives at Limmeridge House to start his job. He dislikes Mr. Fairlie, the head of the household, but quickly becomes friends with his students, Marian Halcombe and Laura Fairlie. Walter notices that Laura looks familiar and tells Marian about the woman in white. Marian discovers a letter from her late mother describing a strange but sweet girl named Anne Catherick, whom she once gave white dresses to wear. When Laura enters the room, Walter realizes that she looks like the mysterious woman in white.
Walter and Laura start to fall in love, but Laura is engaged to a Baronet named Sir Percival Glyde. Marian kindly tells Walter that he should leave, as Sir Percival is coming soon to make wedding plans. Heartbroken, Walter agrees. Before he leaves, they receive an anonymous letter warning Laura not to marry Sir Percival. Walter and Marian investigate and find out that Anne Catherick, the woman in white, sent the letter. Walter tries to talk to Anne, but she becomes upset when he mentions Sir Percival, so he leaves her with her companion, Mrs. Clements.
Sir Percival arrives at Limmeridge House, and although Laura is reluctant, she feels obligated to marry him because of a promise she made to her father. Sir Percival appears charming, but Marian is suspicious of him. After the wedding, Laura and Sir Percival go on a honeymoon to Europe, and Marian plans to meet them at their home, Blackwater Park, when they return.
At Blackwater Park, Marian and Laura dislike Count Fosco, Sir Percival’s friend, and are afraid of him. Sir Percival’s behavior also changes; he becomes irritable and aggressive, especially towards Laura. He tries to force Laura to sign a mysterious document, but she refuses. Marian becomes suspicious of Sir Percival and Count Fosco and tries to get help, but her letters are intercepted by Madame Fosco. One night, Marian overhears the men planning to murder Laura for her fortune, but she falls ill with typhus after getting caught in the rain.
While Marian is sick, Sir Percival and Count Fosco trick Laura into going to London, where she is taken to Count Fosco’s house. Laura dies the next day, and Anne Catherick is sent back to the asylum. But when Marian visits the asylum, she finds out that Laura has been imprisoned there, disguised as Anne. Marian rescues her, and they return to Limmeridge, only to find that everyone believes Laura is dead.
Walter returns to London and decides to investigate Sir Percival. He discovers that Sir Percival is not really a Baronet because his parents were never married, making him illegitimate. Sir Percival tries to destroy the evidence in a church, but he accidentally sets the building on fire and dies in the blaze.
After Sir Percival’s death, Walter focuses on Count Fosco. He blackmails the Count into writing a confession that proves Laura’s true identity and reveals the conspiracy. The Count agrees but is later killed by members of a secret political group he betrayed. Walter and Laura eventually marry, and when Mr. Fairlie dies, they move back to Limmeridge House, where their son becomes the heir.
