In the picturesque expanses of Scotland, Guy Mannering, a young English gentleman with a penchant for astrology, pauses at the home of Godfrey Bertram, Laird of Ellangowan. It is a fateful night, for the first Bertram child, a son, is born. Mannering, using his astrological skills, foresees a turbulent future for the newborn, with significant dangers looming in his fifth, tenth, and twenty-first years. A parallel worry haunts him: the boy’s twenty-first year coincides ominously with the thirty-ninth year of the woman Mannering loves, a year foreboded to bring her demise or captivity. Another voice of caution comes from an elderly gypsy, Meg Merrilies, who also senses peril for the infant. Not wanting to alarm the new parents, Mannering records his astrological findings and entrusts them to Mr. Bertram, advising him not to open the envelope until the boy has surpassed his fifth birthday. With this, Mannering continues his journey.

The Disappearance of Young Harry

As years pass, young Harry Bertram grows under the watchful eyes of Dominie Sampson, an educator and clergyman employed by his father, and occasionally, Meg the gypsy, who holds an inexplicable fondness for the boy. When the laird becomes a justice of the peace, he vows to expel gypsies and poachers from the area, inadvertently setting the stage for Meg's foreboding curse that his own home might soon mirror the emptiness he has imposed on others. The prophecy strikes true on Harry’s fifth birthday when he vanishes during a ride with a revenue officer hunting smugglers. The officer is found dead, but Harry is nowhere to be seen. Despite exhaustive searches, he is presumed dead. In the wake of this tragedy, Harry's mother, overwhelmed by grief, gives birth prematurely to a daughter and sadly dies shortly thereafter.

Years of Change and Deception

Seventeen years slip by. During this time, old Mr. Bertram is betrayed by his lawyer Gilbert Glossin, leading to the impending sale of his estate to settle debts. Glossin schemes to acquire the property with minimal expense, banking on the legal loophole that allows a buyer to pay less when an heir is missing, as they might later emerge to reclaim their birthright. Mannering returns with the intention of purchasing the estate to protect it for the Bertram family. However, a postal delay thwarts his efforts, enabling Glossin to seize the property. Consequently, old Mr. Bertram dies amidst these transactions, leaving his daughter Lucy destitute.

Revelations from the Past

In this turbulent period, Mannering's own history unfolds. Years earlier, he had served as a soldier in India and married there. A misunderstanding led him to wrongly accuse his wife of infidelity with Captain Brown, who was actually in love with Mannering's daughter, Julia. This misunderstanding prompted a duel, where Brown was wounded. Believing Brown had died after being captured by bandits, Mannering resigned his commission and returned to England with his daughter following his wife’s death.

New Bonds and Old Enemies

With his attempt to purchase the Bertram estate thwarted, Mannering leases a nearby house for Lucy and the devoted Dominie Sampson. He also brings his daughter, Julia, to the vicinity upon learning she has been secretively meeting a mysterious young man. Unbeknownst to Mannering, this man is Brown, who survived captivity and followed Julia from England to Scotland. Romantic troubles plague both young women: Julia pines for Brown, while Lucy loves Charles Hazlewood, whose father disapproves of their union due to Lucy's lack of fortune.

The Conflict Intensifies

Brown’s presence attracts the attention of old Meg Merrilies, who once saved his life and now extracts a promise from him to come whenever...