Life in the English county of Derbyshire is in a state of upheaval. Several families - all with marriageable young ladies and gentlemen - become entangled in romance and intrigue during a time of optimism. Fate is kind to the somewhat neglected properties of traditional families who lived in the late 18th century. century went through difficult times. Now, in the middle of the 19th century At the turn of the 20th century, the Asquith, Cavendish, Ponsenby and York families found new sources of income and sought to modernize their estates and restore their tarnished reputations. Funding is still modest, but there is a new spirit of optimism in the south of Derbyshire!

Alderley Hall, where the Earl's widow Margaret Fairchild and her sister-in-law Ethel reside with a combined income of well over £20,000 a year, is particularly envious in this part of the county. Only the loneliness on the extensive property clouds the generous hearts of the two widowed and childless ladies.

To their great joy, they were now able to welcome new residents: Margaret's dashing nephew Charles and her lovely niece Elizabeth. Both recently experienced a tragedy. As her parents were crossing the English Channel on the way back from a trip to southern France, they were killed in a severe storm. The deaths of Margaret's brother-in-law and his wife meant that Charles and Elizabeth now live permanently on the Fairchild estate, far away from their childhood country estate in Yorkshire. It's been a year since the terrible accident and of course the steadfast Fairchilds know exactly what the best medicine for a grieving heart is: romance! There is plenty of prime marriage material in the estates of the surrounding hills. The neighboring families in Derbyshire all have children of marriageable age - and the Fairchilds have big plans.