Set in 1843, the film tells the story of Lyddie, an impoverished farm girl whose father has been gone for three long years, and whose mother has left her to fend for herself. Feeling that she is little more than a slave to the neighbors who have taken over the family farm, Lyddie decides to improve her lot by taking a job as a factory worker in a nearby town. Though the living conditions in the company boarding house are far from ideal and the working conditions in the mill are dangerous, Lyddie at least has a sense of freedom. She makes friends with a co-worker, Diana, who resents the working conditions and has an influence on Lyddie's way of thinking. The young girl also discovers the joys and importance of reading, and by the end of the film is ready to take an another adventurous step forward in her personal life.