Dr Helena Twiscombe is a middle-aged, fat, alcoholic university professor. Her niece, Sissy, comes from Australia to visit. These are the only verifiable facts in the novel. The main body of the book is the supposed writings of one of Dr Twiscombe's `grateful' students, where the `student' (female) appears to have seduced Dr Twiscombe's niece, caused another inadequate teacher to commit suicide and generally wreaked emotional havoc amongst students and staff at the university. However, it becomes clear that these `writings' and the `student' are the product of Dr Twiscombe's imagination as she slides into a nervous breakdown and eventually commits suicide