Emily's Quest tells of Emily Byrd Starr trying to write a book to be published. It is wonderful, but when Dean Priest scorns it, for fear of losing Emily, she burns it to ashes. From this point on, Emily gets sadder, until the fateful day when she trips over Aunt Laura's sewing basket spoils everything. When she is better, Dean proposes, and Emily accepts. She feels lonely, the only one of her old group left in Blair Water. Ilse is studying elocution, Teddy art, and Perry is becoming a great political figure. But Emily doesn't feel happy with Dean, and when she learns how much she truly loves Teddy, she breaks the engagement. It is too late when she finds out Teddy and Ilse are engaged. However, Elizabeth's ingury creates a great inspiration, and The Moral Of A Rose is written and published.