Three sisters on a French country estate in 1789 find their lives transformed when an American artist in a balloon makes a crash landing on their property. Stephen, the balloonist, falls in love with Claire, the married oldest daughter, but is adored by Sophie, the rose-growing middle girl. The Revolution moves from Paris to the country, and the Terror threatens the family and their way of life, while Sophie, in the midst of it all, seeks to cultivate a rare scarlet rose.