Lily Ross becomes nursemaid to young Mary, whose widowed father runs Frobisher's Emporium in their seaside village in Devon. She loves her job caring for Mary, a good-natured and spirited child. Although Matt, her fisherman friend, worries her with his insistent love that she cannot return, other things fill her life: Mary and her adventures, the strange flower lady, and her growing feelings for her employer, Mr. McDaniel. But as his nursemaid she must keep her feelings to herself, or risk losing her position.