In this acclaimed drama, Belinda McDonald (Jane Wyman), a young deaf-mute woman living off the coast of Canada on Cape Breton Island, becomes close to the new local doctor, Robert Richardson (Lew Ayres). When Belinda is raped by a customer at her family's farm and becomes pregnant, many suspect Dr. Richardson. Seeking to start over in a new location with Belinda, he leaves town to find a new home, but more conflicts ensue, further jeopardizing their happiness.