Lenna Wickes is the dynamic protagonist of the novel. Her investigation of her younger sister’s death and her burgeoning romance with the medium Vaudeline D’Allaire structure most of the novel’s conflict. Lenna begins the novel as a rational woman with an interest in geology who is deeply skeptical of spiritualism and unsure of how to reconcile her romantic and sexual desires with her professional ambitions. She has recently been courted by Stephen Heslop, a close family friend who offers advantageous connections to the world of geology. However, Lenna does not share Stephen’s romantic interest; instead, she finds herself drawn to Stephen’s sister, Eloise, who reciprocates Lenna’s desire but is conflicted about acting on it. Lenna’s internal struggles to honor science and the supernatural and to reconcile her true romantic desires with society’s expectations are gradually resolved as she engages in an intensive investigation of her sister’s death.

Lenna begins the novel as a deeply anxious character who trusts only in what she can see and feel. However, her anxiety and her rational perceptions are shifted by her relationship with Vaudeline, whose sexual and emotional openness allows Lenna to explore her own hidden desires in a way she wasn’t able to with Eloise.