When Sarah Cavanagh sets off for Venice to take up a new job as governess to the aristocratic Brazzano family, she is filled with trepidation. Her employer, a former operatic diva, is reputed to be difficult and demanding; the children, Beatrice and Emmanuele, have little contact with their glamorous parents and are initially hostile to Sarah. But Sarah needs a fresh start, following the death of her beloved father and the ending of her marriage...