A young woman walks off a bus and into the lives of the Whittakers, a family shattered by the death of their youngest child. She too is escaping painful memories, and is expecting more, as it is the 1950s, and she is pregnant and unwed. But to the Whittakers, particularly 16-year-old Tom, her love is a precious and unexpected gift, as they help each other to reconcile with the past and begin living for the present.