Lucy Strange is an orphan and, together with her younger brother, Thomas, are raised by their uncle, Neville. The family leaves their native country, Australia, and moves to England. Eventually, Lucy is sent by her uncle to India to meet her potential groom, Isaac Newton, Neville’s old friend. Neville owes Isaac money, and he (Neville) wants her to be his (Isaac) potential bride. Lucy boards a ship and spends months traveling to Bombay. On the ship, she meets a married man, William Crowley, heading to Bombay.
The two become close almost instantly, but their relationship ends after they arrive Bombay. During this time, Lucy becomes pregnant. On arrival at Bombay, Lucy meets Isaac, but the two have no interest in one another. Newton has no sexual feelings and talks to Lucy in a strict manner. Afterwards, Lucy delivers a baby girl. When her daughter is four months old, Lucy goes back to London. Before returning to London, Lucy becomes obsessed and discovers the possibilities of photography. In London, Lucy is hired in an albumen company where eggs are crushed and positioned on paper to obtain photographic images.
Lucy keeps a diary, which she has named Special Things Seen. During her happy and sad moments, she records and stores apprehensions of images. Lucy is fond of grasping every detail of an event hence becoming a photographer. As a result, she records people, places, and events that touch her. The book makes readers get insight into the images of birth, life, and death.
