 The rest of the above plot summary is accurate, and well put (without giving away the whole story), I just wanted to clarify the  Gothic  label that I have heard put on Austen by several people incorrectly. I think it is a common misconception to those who are not familiar with all of the novels. Northanger Abbey is not a Gothic mystery. This is a common  generalization  of Austen that many people make based on this one novel out of several she had written. In fact her intention in writing Northanger Abbey was to satirize the currently popular  Gothic  novel (current in her lifetime that is).