Louise Legrand is the wilful eighteen-year-old daughter of Madeline and her first husband. Oscar Swain is Madeline's second husband and he is bedridden. Madeline's first mother-in-law offers to pay for Louise to have art lessons, but when Louise falls in love with Daniel, the middle-aged art teacher and they elope to America, no-one realizes it will start a train of events which will lead to tragedy. Will the family ties be strong enough to survive the outcome?