Sophia is recently orphaned as her father, the local clergy man, passed away. As a way to start over, Sophia moves to a new town with the goal of becoming a governess. She meets Charles Mortimer and his sister. She moves in with a charitable family who treat her as a daughter. Unfortunately, Sophia is not in the same social circles as Mr. Mortimer and she eventually finds a job as a governess working for a wealthy but dysfunctional family.