Mary is a timid shop attendant with glasses and braided hair. And though she's fallen for James, a handsome and smart lawyer, the only thing she can do is admire him from her window. The shopkeeper, Margaret, wants to help and offers Mary a dress. Thanks to the beautiful, magical dress, Mary gains the courage to go to a ball under a fake name. The time she spends there with her beloved James feels like a dream...one she knows she must wake from.