When Sarah Cavanagh sets off for Venice to take up a new job as governess to the aristocratic Brazzano family, she is filled with trepidation. Her employer, a former operatic diva, is reputed to be difficult and demanding; the children, Beatrice and Emmanuele, have little contact with their glamorous parents and are initially hostile to Sarah. But Sarah needs a fresh start, following the death of her beloved father and the ending of her marriage. Despite the difficulties confronting her, the city of Venice soon works its unfailing magic, and she finds herself reluctantly caught up in the family's complicated lives.