1893 Vermont, Amy Merlin watches Peter (her brother) and Emily enjoying themselves at their wedding party in Amy's house. At twenty-two years of age, she hopes for a caring and compassionate man of her own. Nick Hawthorne, a man she had just met, tries to woo her to no immediate avail because she witnessed him eavesdropping on a private conversation between the Merlins earlier. He says that he was interested in Peter and Emily's love story, but she...