Kirsty MacDounald is a crofter on the idyllic Westisle in the Hebrides, an island she now owns. Her son, Wee Ruari, has started school on the mainland, travelling by boat across the Sound to Clachan, and being separated from him during the week is a crench for Kirsty. Twice widowed, she misses the boy's father, who was tragically drowned. As autumn arrives, she is kept busy preparing for the winter, and finds herself fully involved in the lives of her fellow islanders. However it is the appearance of a Canadian and his daughter that causes the biggest waves in the small community. Kirsty is opposed to change bu comes to learn that not all change can be resisted.