"Peg" O'Connell, a cheerful, unrefined Irish girl from a fishing village, moves in with her wealthy, haughty aunt, Mrs. Chichester, in England to satisfy the terms of her grandfather's will. Peg faces cold treatment from her aunt and cousin, who are in financial trouble and covet the inheritance, creating a "clash of classes" dynamic. Peg falls for Jerry, a family friend who is actually Sir Gerald Adair, the executor of her estate and her guardian. After overcoming misunderstandings and an attempt to return to her father, Peg finds happiness, love, and acceptance, with the story highlighting the superiority of her honest nature over aristocratic snobbery.