In 1840s Guernsey, two sisters, Marguerite and Marianne Patourel, fall in love with William Ozanne, son of Dr. Edmond Ozanne, who recently returned to the island after many years away. The Green Dolphin clipper ship brings news of New Zealand's wonders, and Marianne schemes for her father to sponsor William as a naval officer. After a two-year time skip, William returns, declares his love for Marguerite, and sends a letter and gift to her in China before being labeled a deserter. He finds the Green Dolphin and travels to New Zealand, where he becomes a successful lumberman and marries Marianne after writing a drunken letter proposing marriage to the wrong sister. Meanwhile, Marguerite's life takes a dramatic turn as she reads from William's letter, discovers her father's death, and eventually returns to the convent in San Pierre.