The Turn of the Screw Summary

A tale is recounted from a past Christmas Eve gathering, where attendees shared ghost stories in a historical home. One guest, Douglas, shared an eerie tale involving a young governess, his sister, who cared for two children, Flora and Miles, after their former governess passed away. The children lived in a secluded country house under the guardianship of a charming bachelor. The recounting of this tale transitions to the perspective of the governess, detailing her peculiar encounters.

On her arrival at Bly, the country house, the governess is introduced to Flora and a housemaid, Mrs. Grose, which assuages her initial anxiety. However, she soon learns of Miles' expulsion from school, the reasons for which are unclear. This unsettling news prompts her to seek more information from Mrs. Grose, but she is placated when assured of Miles' typical boyish behavior. One evening, the governess encounters a strange man within the grounds of the house twice. Mrs. Grose identifies the man as Peter Quint, a former valet, now deceased. The governess becomes convinced that this apparition is after Miles, leading her to oversee the children more strictly. During a lakeside visit with Flora, she perceives the specter of her predecessor, Miss Jessel, and suspects Flora of hiding this eerie presence. Mrs. Grose subsequently reveals the inappropriate relationships Quint and Miss Jessel had with the children.

The peaceful atmosphere is disrupted when the governess has another encounter with Quint, this time on the staircase after a gust of wind put out her candle. Following this event, she finds Flora hiding in her room and, in the following nights, sees the ghost of Miss Jessel. After a discussion with Mrs. Grose about the children's peculiar behavior and her suspicions of them meeting the ghosts, the governess resolves to contact their guardian. At the same time, she threatens to leave if Mrs. Grose contacts him. However, after another encounter with Miss Jessel's ghost, she ultimately decides to stay. One evening, the governess questions Miles about his behavior and the missing letter she had intended to send to their guardian, which he admits to taking. In the final chilling encounter, the governess sees Quint outside, and as Miles looks for him, he suddenly dies in her arms.