After being orphaned and rejected by her reluctant relatives, Aunt Martha and Judge Trent, Sylvia Lacey is sent to live at a Maine farm managed by a kind man named Thinkright. While there, she becomes captivated by a deserted, shuttered Tide Mill, believing only love can "open its shutters." Sylvia eventually discovers a passion for painting and falls in love with John Dunham, the Judge’s law partner. Though she initially believes John is engaged to her friend Edna, he eventually confesses his love for her. In the end, John surprises Sylvia by revealing he has purchased the Tide Mill and converted it into a professional art studio for her, fulfilling her metaphor that love would finally open the mill's shutters.