This novel, generally regarded as the first gothic novel, initiating a literary genre which would become extremely popular in the later 18th and early 19th century, tells the story of Manfred, Lord of the castle, and his family. It narrates how his son Conrad is crushed to death by a gigantic helmet on his wedding-day and how Manfred unsuccessfully resolves to resolves to avert destruction of his family line. It blends elements of realist fiction with the supernatural and fantastical, establishing many of the plot devices and character-types that would become typical of the Gothic: secret passages, clanging trapdoors, pictures begin to move, and doors close by themselves.