Philip Marsten - a sailor - buys a majestic plot of land while sailing around Maine in the 1880s. He builds a beautiful house he names Windswept that becomes the ancestral seat of the very prominent Maine family. This is the story of the Marsten family, covering from the 1880s to the beginning of World War II. I enjoyed this story although it was a little longwinded. I generally like books about houses and family relationships. I give it an A+!