Fanny Price's rich relatives offer her a place in their home so that she can be properly brought up.

However, Fanny's childhood is a lonely one as she is never allowed to forget her place.

Her only ally is her cousin Edmund. When her cousins befriend two glamorous new young people who have arrived in the area, Henry and Mary Crawford, Edmund starts to grow close to Mary and Fanny finds herself dealing with feelings she has never experienced before.