When Helen Tracey arrives in the village of Arcton as a runaway from an orphanage, she cannot possibly know how much joy and heartbreak the place has in store for her. She is seeking an aunt, but instead she finds a family in the people she meets: Harry Watts, the old stationmaster and Clara Raffety, the owner of the village shop, who becomes her employer, landlady and a kindly mother-figure to the lonely girl. Helen's gentle manner wins her both friends and love, but she finds herself overwhelmingly attracted to the heir of Arcton Manor, Bruce Piper, and to the house itself. But as events conspire against them, Bruce and Helen are forced apart. Can they ever hope to realise their love?