The Collective Obsessions Saga begins in 1865 when John Larkin emigrates from Ireland to America and settles his self-named township in Maine. John builds a wealthy empire and grand estate, becoming one of the richest merchants on the Eastern Seaboard. Hiding behind the wealth and social position are quirky English servants, the effervescent family chef Claude Mondoux, John's paranoid-alcoholic wife Anne, their steadfast son Roderick and their mercurial daughter Mary Margaret, also affectionately known as Molly. In THE ADVENT, Molly falls in love with lighthouse keeper Colm Sullivan, which brings shame and tragedy upon her family. Although cloaked in secrecy and madness, the love affair establishes a connection between their families that will endure for generations.