In the spring of 1937, Ellen Carr abandons grey, dreary London to become housekeeper at an experimental school in Austria, where she soon knows she's found her calling.

Swept into an idyllic world of mountains, music, eccentric teachers and wayward children, Ellen brings order and joy to all around her. But it's the handsome, mysterious gardener, Marek, who intrigues her. As Hitler's troops march across Europe, Ellen finds she has promises to keep, even if it means sacrificing her future happiness . . .