A 17-year-old writer named Emelia Conan-Doyle (Jessica Brown Findlay) aspires to follow in the footsteps of her famous grandfather while supporting herself by working at a seaside resort, and she soon strikes up a friendship that will change her life. Jonathan (Sebastian Koch) is a novelist suffering from a bad case of writer's block. He's just brought his family to a posh hotel near the sea when his studious daughter Beth (Felicity Jones) begins hanging out with free-spirited Emelia. In time, Jonathan offers to teach Emelia creative writing, and temptation rears its ugly head as his career-driven wife (Julia Ormond) grows increasingly frustrated.