Their father, an English professor at a university, has decided to take a year off from teaching to write a book that he only half-jokingly claims will shake the world of literature.

The sisters soon establish a rapport with the elderly Will Banks, who learns about photography with Meg and teaches Molly about the abundant wildflowers covering the estate.

A few months after coming to the country, Molly begins having constant nosebleeds, which the doctor blames on the cold weather.

Unfortunately, it is not until Molly's bed is soaked in blood that she is rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with a fatal disease: acute myelogenous leukemia.

Shortly thereafter, Ben Brady and a pregnant Maria Abbott, whom the townspeople incorrectly assume to be unmarried, arrive to make the third Banks house their home.