Sarah Shaw is delighted to secure an excellent post as governess to four little girls and is sure she can be successful. However, the children are not as biddable as she expected and she discovers, Lord Fenwick, her employer, is not the man she thought him to be. In her opinion, the interference of the local physician, Adam Moorcroft, does not improve matters. When tragedy strikes Sarah is obliged to make a promise she later regrets. Can she reconcile her conscience and find happiness with the man she loves?