It"s 1910 in Wiltshire and life is not pleasant for Mattie Willitt and her sisters. Her bullying stepfather attempts to force her into an unwelcome marriage and Mattie runs away. But she"s soon drenched by ceaseless rain, hopelessly lost and hungry, and collapses. Jacob, a widower with two young children, discovers her, nurtures her back to health and they become close. When Emily Newington, the landowner, offers Jacob a job as her rental agent, it"s on condition he marries Mattie. Meanwhile, Mattie"s stepfather is determined to track her down. Then her whereabouts is revealed and Emily falls ill, leaving her no-good relative poised to inherit her property. Now they must all face their fears and stand up to those who threaten their future happiness.