While he is travelling through Yorkshire, Major Adrian Chester's fine team of carriage horses is driven off the road by an old farm cart. His wheel is badly damaged and he is unable to continue his journey. Using his charm and naturally autocratic manner, he arranges to be put up at the local manor, where he finds a delightful unspoilt girl, Petula Buckden, struggling to keep the family estate together after her father's death. They share an evening of magical beauty then he must return to the smart world of city life. But soon fate was to take Petula from her isolated home to the drawing rooms of London...