When James Dixon meets writer Dorothy Wordsworth, he realizes he's never met another woman like her before. As her brother William Wordsworth's confidante and collaborator she has an idyllic existence alongside William and his wife, in England's Lake District. At William's urging, James takes on chores around the Wordsworth estate and soon understands that his unspoken responsibility is keeping an eye on Dorothy, who is growing frail and melancholic. Through James we witness the the Wordsworth family's dramatic emotional and artistic struggles and glittering social circle.