故事发生在1873年的美国匹兹堡斯考特钢厂之中。玛丽（葛丽亚·嘉逊 Greer Garson 饰）跟姐姐和身患残疾的父亲帕特（莱昂纳尔·巴里摩尔 Lionel Barrymore 饰）一起过着相依为命的生活。因为家中赤贫，玛丽决定到当地的富豪斯考特先生家所举办的宴会上做女佣来补贴家用，在宴会上，玛丽有幸结识了斯考特家的大小姐康妮（玛莎·亨特 Marsha Hunt 饰）、二少爷威利（丹·德亚 Dan Duryea 饰）、三少爷泰德（马歇尔·汤普森 Marshall Thompson 饰）以及大少爷保罗（格利高里·派克 Gregory Peck 饰）。
斯考特家的每一个人都喜欢玛丽这个聪明伶俐又吃苦耐劳的姑娘，他们很快就成为了朋友，不仅如此，保罗亦对玛丽产生了真挚的感情。

Young and inexperienced Sister Ann has just arrived at her next posting at Samaritan House, a Dominican order located in a disreputable neighborhood of Ghent, Belgium. Sister Ann is enthusiastic, progressive but naive, all which irks one of the senior sisters, Sister Cluny, especially the fact that Sister Ann has a prized material possession, a guitar she's named Adele. Sister Ann considers Adele and her music to be her friends. Contrary to Sister Cluny, the Mother Prioress believes Sister Ann will be a welcome addition to their order. This posting is to be the training ground for Sister Ann and others to become missionaries in Africa. Sister Ann's path takes a detour when the order's Father Clementi hears Sister Ann sing. He believes Sister Ann should record her music and as a favor asks Robert Gerarde of Primavera Records for recording time. Unknown at the time the request is made, Robert and Sister Ann are old friends who attended the Paris Conservatory of Music together five years...

根据英国名作家约翰高尔斯华绥最著名的长篇巨著《福尔赛世家》改编，以豪华的制作品质和闪亮的星光呈现维多利亚时代的一段爱情故事。剧情描述世家子埃罗尔．弗林打破保守的家族惯例，娶了并非门当户对的钢琴老师格里尔．加森为妻。加森进门后，跟沃尔特．皮金的女儿珍妮特．利成为好友，利要求加森帮忙说服家族成员，让她可以嫁给看似为人漫不经心的建筑师罗伯特．扬，不料扬接触了加森之后，竟然喜欢上她，不再想娶利。此时弗林正好又聘请扬为他盖一幢新居，更造成加森与扬的密切接触机会。最后因为一场“绿帽疑云"的误会，两对鸳鸯各散东西。由于篇幅所限，导演坎普顿． 班尼特仿佛只能浮光掠影地交代丰富的情节，刻划主角的心理略嫌不够细腻，但演员普遍表现出色。