Mary Stewart's books, when first published, were a little different from the romantic novels of the 1950s and introduced a stronger woman in each of her stories, rather than the weak damsel in distress.
The Stormy Petrel is set in the Scottish Highlands on a fictional and desolate island. Rose Fenemore has rented a tiny cottage to have a quiet location to write but while waiting for her brother (a keen photographer) to arrive she meets two men whom she feels are not being honest with her. While exploring she comes across the rare stormy petrel birds nesting on the island. When she discovers one man's true intentions, she finds herself in a precarious situation.
