Ellen is a mystery to her family. Her mother and the aunts who helped raise her were all militant suffragettes and are now part of the Bloomsbury intelligentsia, while Ellen would much rather pursue the domestic arts and follow in the footsteps of her grandfather's Austrian mistress and housekeeper. In the spring of 1937, Ellen does so, traveling to Austria to become a housemother in an eccentric boarding school that specializes in the arts and serves as a haven for adults and children who have nowhere else to go. With her innate kindness and warmth, she transforms the school and finds true love with Marek, the gardener and fencing instructor. As the tentacles of Nazism invade their world, Ellen helps Marek, who is actually a famous Czech composer in hiding, secure the safety of his Jewish violinist friend.