American heiress Bettina Vanderpoel departs for England to visit her sister Rosalie and her impoverished nobleman husband Sir Nigel Anstruthers. Arriving at their dilapidated estate, Betty finds that Nigel not only has wasted Rosalie's fortune but has treated his wife and their little son cruelly. Betty jumps into action promptly repairing the estate with her own money and seeking to offer some relief to her sister by introducing her into English society. In the process, she meets Lord Mount Dunstan, a proud but penniless nobleman who lives in the adjacent estate. Strongly attracted to Betty, he nonetheless avoids her so as not to appear a fortune hunter. When an epidemic breaks out among the farmers it leads to life changing consequences for both sisters and the men in their sphere.