Carolyn Carter obeys the commands of her mother, who is socially ambitious, and marries John Fordyce, a wealthy, disreputable rounder. Carolyn soon discovers, as so many women have before her, that a loveless marriage for gold only causes sorrow. Matters go from bad to worse and finally Carolyn divorces Fordyce and goes away to live among the simple folk, between the mountains and the sea. There she meets Andres, a young shepherd, who is tending his flocks. Andres longs for an education and the beautiful stranger instructs him in book lore. Then it is that love enters the game and joins the hearts and hands of Andres, the shepherd, and Carolyn Carter, and finally she realizes her heart's desire of marriage for love and children.