The blind girl Nina, adopted in childhood by Xavier Whipple, endured abuse from her adoptive parents after his passing—ranging from beatings and scoldings to forced labor on an empty stomach. In a twist of fate, she rescued Silas Thorne with her black dog Shadow’s aid. When Silas arrived at the Whipple residence with a twenty-fold demolition compensation contract to express gratitude, he witnessed adoptive mother Wendy Primrose abusing Nina in the act.