'Otherwise Phyllis' is a romance novel that follows the life of Phyllis Kirkwood, nicknamed 'Phil'. Phil is close to her father who raised her up singlehandedly after her mother ran off with a member of the neighboring Holton family. Now Phil is eighteen, a young lady whose wandering mind seems to distress her aunts greatly. Phil falls in love with one of the Holton brothers, an awkward situation only made worse when her mother returns to the village and wants to get back into Phyllis's life...
