The Chalmers family decided to move for a year to the country. An old rented farm house that had it own special charm. Mr. Chalmers needed peace and quit so that he could finish writing a book. His daughters Meg and Molly learn that they must share a room and they are not happy. Molly and Meg are so different, not only in looks but personalities. Molly very organized and polished. Meg, much unorganized and not letting looks bother her. They also do not always agree with each other. As the year moves on, Molly gets terrible nose bleeds in the middle of the night. She is hospitalized and Meg is unaware of how sick she is. Meg decides to explore the area and discover a new best friend who is an old gentleman named Will Banks, they soon find out that they have allot in common, photography was a hobby of his an Megs. She is also best friends with Ben and Maria a couple that just moved into the other rented farm house on the property of Mr. Banks.

Molly gets a terrible nose bleed in the middle of the night and must get to the hospital. Once molly comes home from the hospital, Meg introduces moll to Ben and Maria, they are expecting a baby to come soon. Molly loves babies and can't wait till it comes. Molly helps Maria make clothes for the baby and get the room ready. Megs father know how much she loves photography and decides to build Meg a dark room. Will is very excited about the dark room and gives Meg his old German camera on one condition that she teaches him how to use the dark room and she agrees.

Meg notices that molly just has not been herself and sleeps more that usual. She is also Been nicer than usual to her. They were talking in their room when Meg noticed that something was wrong with Molly's legs and called for their parents. Molly had to e taken back to the hospital but before she left she asked Meg to asked Maria to wait until; she got back to have the baby. Meg agreed to let Maria know. A month later Molly was still in the hospital and Meg was called by Maria that she was having the baby and she wanted Meg to take the photographs, she was having the baby and she wanted Meg to take photographs, she was having the baby at home. Meg was sad that molly was not there to see the baby born.

Meg's parents told her that Molly would not be coming home and that she had leukemia. Meg went to see Molly and told her that the baby had arrived and they named him Happy. Meg showed molly the beautiful photos that she had taken of her when she was home. Only in a few weeks later Molly passed away. Meg remembered all the good times they had. She had taken so many beautiful photographs of Meg, Will, Happy and the wonderful old farm that the entire family loved.

It was the end of the summer and Chalmers family moved back to the city. Meg was sad but made a promise to Will to come back and visit and to see the gentians bloom. They were Molly's favorite flower and now Meg's.

After the family had been in the city for a while, Mr. Chalmers took Meg to the museum of art; there in the front of her was a photograph of herself title 'Fringed Gentian' Will had submitted the photo, it was beautiful one, but she could see Molly in herself in this photograph. Meg immediately told her father that she had to go see Will. When she arrived she reminded Will that she was there to see the fringed gentians. As they walked she saw the photograph and that he made her beautiful. He laughed, 'You were beautiful all along'