Edith hears her young man has died fighting at the front after their last quarrelsome meeting when she refuses his advances to make love.

During her grief she meets Alfred, a passionate man; she's soon pregnant yet unwed. Though a kind man money runs through his fingers causing many changes in their circumstances. Edith spends her marriage regretting he isn't her first love.

When Alfred dies, Edith becomes a housekeeper and discovers what love really means. She realises she's been chasing a dream, but it's too late to go back and make amends to Alfred.