In 1894, Rosalia Goth and her younger brother, Arthur, are the wards of their wealthy uncle, Mr. Weber, and his wife, after the untimely death of their father. Rosalia leads a quiet but comfortable life with her aunt and uncle and their two daughters in Kansas City, Missouri. However, there is one family member that remains elusive, her eldest cousin, Richard. Away at college since before her arrival, he returns home upon completion of his education. He soon becomes infatuated with the young and beautiful, Rosalia. His obsession with her knows no bounds, as his cousin she was born to belong to him, to be his beloved rose.