Daphne du Maurier explores the troubled life of Branwell Brontë, delving into his artistic ambitions, self-destructive habits, and the psychological and familial pressures that led to his downfall.

"Miss du Maurier has brought to the art of the biography the narrative urgency which gives such animation to her storytelling."—New York Times Book Review

Pursued by the twin demons of drink and madness, English poet and artist Branwell Bronte, brother of the writers Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte, created a private world that was indeed infernal. As a bold and gifted child, his promise seemed boundless to the three adoring sisters over whom his rule was complete. But as an adult, the precocious flame of genius distorted and burned low.

With neither the strength nor the resources to counter rejection, unable to sell his paintings or publish his books, Branwell became a spectre in the Bronte story, in pathetic contrast with the astonishing achievements of Charlotte, Emily and Anne. This is the biography of the shadowy figure of the "unknown" Bronte.