Lady Eleanor Butler was 29 when she first met Sarah Ponsonby, a sensitive, retiring girl of 13. Ten years later, in 1778, the two ladies eloped. Amid scenes of scandal and havoc they settled in a cottage in Llangollen where their unorthodox relationship blossomed and their way of living became a legend. Lady Caroline Lamb and Josiah Wedgwood visited them, Wordsworth and Southey wrote poetry under their roof and other celebrities of the day, such as the Duke of Wellington, became their friends. This biography depicts a friendship that lasted over 50 years.