Los Angeles, circa 1920's, a little immigrant girl finds herself in a hospital recovering from a fall.

She strikes up a friendship with a bedridden man who captivates her with a whimsical story that removes her far from the hospital doldrums into the exotic landscapes of her imagination.

Making sure he keeps her interested in the story, he interweaves her familys and people she likes from the hospital into his tale.

BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's unfinished novel. The decision of long-time widower Mr Gibson (Bill Paterson) to remarry has several repercussions for his daughter, Molly (Justine Waddell), who resents the arrival of her stepmother (Francesca Annis). However, Molly also acquires a stepsister, Cynthia (Keeley Hawes), with whom she soon forms a close bond. Their relationship is later put to the test, however, when they both set their sights on the same man.