Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters are left to the will of her step-son, John, and his wife after her husband dies. Her step-son's wife does not like Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters, so it is determined they should move out of their home as soon as possible. Currently they are sharing their home with John and his wife, who are the legal owners of the home. The oldest daughter, Elinor, is in love with John's brother-in-law, Edward. They are moving to Barton Cottage, which is owned by Sir John Middleton. There they meet Colonel Brandon and Mrs. Jennings, who is Lady Middleton's mother and through an accident meet Mr. Willoughby. Willoughby, who rescues Marianne after she falls spraining her ankle, falls in love with her. This leads Elinor to wonder if they are engaged and if so, why have they not publicly announced it. Meanwhile, Colonel Brandon has shown great interest in Marianne, but realizes she is not interested in him.