Bethany and her mother are left destitute following the scandalou death of her father. Forced to leave their beloved home with little more than the clothers they are stood up in, their last hope is to prevail upon their only living relative, Bethany's Great Aunt Sarah, who runs a coaching inn. But when they arrive at the inn, they realise it has seen much better days and they are hardly welcomed with open arms by Sarah, who is initially unsympathetic to their plight. However, she is persuaded to let them stay, and although her mother is too depressed by their reduced circumstances to be much help, Bethany is quicked to adapt and impresses Sarah with her attitude to hard work. She soon manages to convince Sarah to build up the business again, and trade at the inn increases. Their future begins to look secure, but trouble lies ahead, not only in rumours of a planned railway, but also in the form of Zachary Brown, an itinerant labourer who takes a shine to Beth, but who is not all he seems...