Frank Gresham, heir to the Greshamsbury estate, and Mary Thorne, the niece of the local doctor, grow up close to one another and gradually fall in love, but the heavily indebted Gresham family believes that Frank must marry a wealthy woman in order to restore the family fortune. Mary believes herself to be merely the penniless niece of Doctor Thorne, yet she carries a secret concerning her birth that her uncle has long concealed and that connects her closely to the wealthy Sir Roger Scatcherd and his family. Frank’s mother, Lady Arabella, together with the de Courcy family, tries to separate the young couple and direct Frank toward a richer bride, but Frank increasingly realizes that his feelings for Mary are not a passing childhood attachment but genuine love. Meanwhile, Doctor Thorne becomes deeply involved in Sir Roger’s failing health and financial affairs and is entrusted with his will, making Mary’s hidden parentage and the Scatcherd fortune crucial elements that may ultimately determine the future of both Mary and Frank.
