Fourteen-year-old Lucy Maud Montgomery - Maud to her friends - has a dream: to go to college and become a writer, just like her idol, Louisa May Alcott. Her grandfather has strong opinions about a woman's place in the world, and they do not include spending good money on college. But life changes for Maud when she goes out West to live with her father and his new wife and daughter. Her new home offers her another chance at love, as well as attending school, but tensions increase as Maud discovers her stepmother's plans for her, which threaten Maud's future - and her happiness forever.