Mary is a nurse dedicated to looking after the wounded during the battle of Waterloo. Day in, day out, she is subject to the sight of men dying in front of her.

When she returns to England, she finds her mother ill and unable to run the family farm. Her father and brother are still fighting in the war. Mary takes over, but disaster after disaster drives her into the hands of a despicable Duke, who wants just one thing from Mary, her virtue.