When the Dashwood family estate passes to the eldest son John and his wife, Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret move to a cottage in Devonshire to begin a new life. The sensible Elinor is courted by the gentlemanly Edward Ferrars, while the more romantic Marianne falls for handsome scoundrel John Willoughby. Will their differing temperaments, and the rules of their society, bring them love . . . or heartbreak?